Fragile Clay: Revelations (2:1)
by Kaoru Shimitsu
Summary: The Second Story in the Series, continuing the struggle of friendship and love as a dangerous intruder comes to Nerima...
1. Beachsand and Samurai

Well well well, I think the original story was an immense success in original style Story-Weaving, and that my artful talents were not wasted on the tale. This one has some mild Lemon subject matter, so if you find this offensive, go ahead and leave.

So, I've decided to write yet another tale based on the trepidous trio of Ranma/Hiroshi/Daisuke. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, so the last one had more of Hiroshi than Daisuke... but Daisuke had a lot more flavor and personality than ever before! Hrrnnnn... maybe I will make a side-story detailing Daisuke one of these days.

AFTER I FINISH THIS!!! Ahh, Ce Sirrah Sirrah.

Don't worry, I won't break out into singingEmphatic snicker placed here. Well, the next volume in the series is a three parter, so glue your eyelids open and read on! One note, however. This is an Alterna-verse fanfic which is VERY close to the original. The only major difference is that when the series ended (After Saffron was defeated), Nodoka never found out about the curse. 'Nuff said.

Hope you enjoy immensely, and C&C is greatly appreciated. So are flames. Death threats are looked forward too, after all... I am the real Unibomber. Forget that Kasczinsky fella, I'm the real thing! Or maybe that was Kodachi...

Ahh, heck! On with the story!

Tell a Friend About Fragile Clay!!!

Fragile Clay: Volume 2

Episode two:

"Water Water, Where'd it go?!

The Vengeance of Aquarius!"

(Opening Scenes and music are "Little Date", with added scenes of Hiroshi in battle with his Genji garb and Bo.)

A peaceful breeze rustled the leaves of the silent trees, as sunshine streamed down in a golden cascade, bathing a beautiful red-headed girl in shimmering rays of sunlight. She wore a red string bikini that emphasized her very feminine body.

She read a book as she watched her friends playing in the sea. She grumbled at the black-haired boy who was talking to a rather cute-looking girl with short-cropped hair.

"Ryouga, the idiot. What's he thinking, talking to Akane? It's not like he stands a chance," The red-headed girl sighed as she looked back at the book and turned the page.

It was a borrowed book, the girl remembered. Hiroshi, her friend had lent it to her for the weekend. She flipped through the pages of, "Romeo and Juliet," a play they had done just months before , and sighed. Why couldn't Akane be like that with her? Each time she tried getting close to her fiancee she always beat her and said something like "Ranma you Idiot!".

Ranma recalled the late night encounter. *Well... almost all the time.*

Ranma turned the page and a piece of paper fell out. *Heh?* She looked down at it. Her delicate fingers picked it up and unfolded it.

"Another dream, Last night. Weird.

Some girl came to me with her head

On fire wearing a prom dress and

began dancing some strange dance.

Then she split in two, one was me

and the other was her, only younger.

Then a mask fell and shattered the glass,

Only then did I realize I was looking

through a window. Children. Screams

Awoke me... the dream has left my mind."

Ranma blinked as she looked down at the paper. She didn't much recognize the handwriting, but the dream sounded familiar. *I wonder why?*

She shrugged and folded it up, sticking it in the back of the book. She stretched and stood up, placing the book beside the beach-towel she had been laying on.

She walked over to Ryouga with a bottle in her hand. The lost boy was rubbing himself down with the curse-protecting soap Shampoo had let him borrow when Ranma tapped him on the shoulder.

"What do _You_ want, Ranma?!" Ryouga almost yelled, but knew he shouldn't make a scene at the beach... with Akane. *I can't let myself ruin her day.*

Ranma grinned an evil grin, remembering that her body was as much a weapon as her mind... while both in concert can make Ryouga squirm. This was going to be fun, especially since Ryouga had promised Akane there would be no fights.

Ranma put a soft feminine lull into her voice, "Well, Ryouga, you've been so nice lately I thought I would ask you to do something for me. Just a _little_ thing," Ranma put her index and thumb close together in front of her face, emphasizing the word "Little".

Ryouga's scowl disappeared in an instant, thinking that Ranma was actually trying to be nice for once.

"Eh... what do you mean?" Ryouga seemed a bit confused, both at the silly grin and the almost unnoticeable womanly tone in Ranma's voice.

"Well.... I was thinking that you being such a _nice_ guy and all, that you might want to help me out a little," Ranma took Ryouga's hand and pulled him back over to her beach blanket. Ryouga used his other hand to scratch his head, wondering both why Ranma was being nice, and what she meant by a favor.

Ranma pressed something into his hands as she plopped down chest first on the towel.

Ranma could almost feel the blood drain from Ryouga's face when he saw the sun-tan lotion.

"Rub me down, Pig-boy!" Ranma said, trying not to chuckle at the angst his friend was feeling.

"Ranma... Is this a joke?" Ryouga sounded nervous, which almost overpowered Ranma with laughter. She swallowed her mirth.

"Of course not, P-chan! Ya'see, there's this little spot I can't exactly reach, and I was _hoping_ you'd be _man_ enough to help. But, what does a lost boy like you know about? Probably are too _scared_ to help out widdle ol' me!" Ranma stifled her giggle, but a small bit got through. She was having fun watching Ryouga squirm.

Ryouga turned red, a bit from embarrassment, and a bit from anger. *Ranma's trying to make fun of me!*

"Ranma... why should I help you?! YOU'VE made my life a LIVING HELL! If it WASN'T FOR YOU-" Ryouga was sharply cut off.

"I'd be careful P-chan, Akane might get angry if we fight right now... I seem to remember something about a promise... besides... what could I do? If you're really not up to it, I guess I'll have to find someone with enough guts!" Ranma smiled softly as her words sunk in.

Ryouga began to fume, but quickly dropped to his knees and began applying lotion. After several moments, Ryouga's anger turned into sheer nervousness and embarrassment as he felt Ranma's soft feminine flesh under his hands.

*The worst part is... I'm just now REALIZING exactly what's happened to Ranma! And...* Ryouga felt the blood rushing to his head, and was afraid he was about to bleed. He could not help the fact of the matter.

Ranma was turning him on.

*OhnowhatwouldAkanethinkshe'llthinkI'munfaithfulbutRanmaissobeautifulandshe

feelssogoodandwhatamIsaying?*

Ranma liked the torture she was putting Ryouga through, she could almost see his thoughts "What will Akane think?" so surely to be among them.

Ranma had to admit, though, Ryouga was good at this. Strangely she wasn't afraid of the fact that hands which could shatter solid stone and most likely snap her in two were running up and down her spine. It was kind of comforting.

Ryouga couldn't stand it any longer, thousands of images of Ranma's nude form seemed to leap to mind, images from all the times Ranma had ignored feminine modesty. His nose began gushing blood in torrents.

Ranma yelped as warm liquid fell across her back and Ryouga toppled over.

She quickly leapt up and ran into the water, washing off the blood she was sure would be there.

Ryouga twitched on the ground, having lost a good amount of his body fluids. He could _now_ banish the images from his mind, bringing up moments where fists and feet had connected with his head.

He felt better thinking about these. He would reprimand Ranma later when he regained his strength.

Ranma floated in the water, for a moment forgetting her fear associated with being surrounded by the stuff. She was bothered by what her joke had elicited as a response. Ryouga only bled when he was attracted to a girl... and most often when he saw that girl in the buff. The huge amount he had bled meant either he was thinking of Akane in an improper way or...

Ranma had actually turned him on. Very much. *Disturbing... maybe I took it kinda a bit too far... I mean, I sometimes forget what I look like as a... girl.* Ranma turned a bit red as she walked out of the water to see if Ryouga was all right.

Fortunately, the black-haired boy had stopped bleeding. He saw Ranma looking down at him and his anger flared up, renewing him with a new energy. The feral growl began deep in his throat, too low for Ranma to hear.

"Hey, Ryouga... Ah... Sorry 'bout that, I uh..."

Ryouga leaped up and threw a punch at Ranma, who quickly leaped back a few feet, her breasts bouncing furiously in the red bikini. Ranma noted that _that_ had hurt a bit, and scolded herself for wearing the bikini. *Never Again, Nabiki!*

"Ranmaaa!!! DIE!" Ryouga leaped at Ranma, who spun around to flee into the water. Ryouga mindlessly threw his arms around Ranma as he heard a familiar voice.

"RYOUGA?!" Akane yelled, and Ryouga paused, his arms flung around Ranma's chest, his hands clenched suggestively around soft flesh.

"A-A-Akane?" Ryouga said, still oblivious to the situation.

"I've _tried_ talking to Ranma, _He_ doesn't _listen_! But I had _hoped_ for some more maturity from _you_! How could you be so... so... SICK?!" Akane stormed off furiously.

Ryouga's mind lurched out of pause, to find his hands wrapped around Ranma's firm breasts.

Ranma was seven shades of red with huge blue eyes as she recalled another embarrasing episode with Ryouga... and the Koi Fishing Rod.

Suddenly, those magically induced feelings returned, and she could feel herself becoming aroused.

Ryouga blushed furiously, but couldn't seem to remove his hands from Ranma's breasts. His mind wouldn't work that far. The thought would reach his head, but not his arms. Ryouga turned positively crimson when he felt Ranma's nipples become stiff.

Ranma forced the feeling to the back of her mind and began shaking in fury. "Ryouga... NO BAKA!!!!" She twirled around and thrust her fist upward into the Lost-Boys jaw.

Ryouga's head was ringing, but surprisingly he was still on the ground. Ranma blurred from three images and then settled into one. Ryouga saw a faint shimmer, and suddenly a huge metal sledge-hammer appeared in Ranma's hand.

"BAKA! I tried apologizing... and you _GROPE_ ME!!!" Ranma began swinging at Ryouga's blue-maned head, connecting more often than not as she chased him down the beach.

After she knocked him unconcious, she turned to walk back to her towel. She paused after a few steps and looked down at her hand, considering the sledge she held. Where had it come from? Just as mysteriously as it had appeared, the thing vanished.

Ranma remembered the odd sexual impulse travel through her body, and then sheer rage unlike ever before. She just seemed to offer her hands out, as if her rage would take a solid form.

Ranma shrugged, brushing the thought off until later. Yet, the thought had made her pause for a moment, and she looked back at Ryouga. She felt a bit guilty, having started it all, but she couldn't leave him out here in shorts alone... he could get lost. Then he would actually _have_ a good reason to blame Ranma.

She groaned and began dragging him back by one of his legs.

She thought while she trudged along, her breasts bouncing up and down... emphasizing her feminine state.

The Koi Fishing Rod had had the unique ability of casting a love spell on whoever it caught so that the person caught would fall in love with the catcher.

Ranma had been caught by Ryouga, and although it hadn't really been _Love_, she could not ignore the occasional surge of sexual passion she had when Ryouga got _too_ close.

Afterwards, she had been able to control it and actually rid her mind of most of the influence.

The one thing she couldn't forget, however, is _why_ Ryouga had seemed so attractive. He had been the only man, and would most likely be the only man, who could ever actually turn her on.

*And damn him for using that magic. If it weren't for that, I wouldn't have those occasional thoughts of him!* She grumbled. Another reason to despise Ryouga.

What bothered her the most, however, is that instantaneous thought pattern imprinted in her from the Fishing Rod.

As she walked she remembered the rage in Ryouga's voice, then Akane's shout, then the realization that Ryouga's hands were carressing her breasts.

*_That_ was the moment, dammit. I should've run sooner when I saw that angry look in his eyes.*

She recalled, then, the tingling sensation as her nipples hardened, and then a wet feeling where it shouldn't have been...

In another moment, she could have been necking with Ryouga... and...

*Don't think about that.* The thought sickened her, and scared her a bit more than usual. It also made her angry at the way she could be so easily manipulated by magic into having... SEX with a man.

She stopped her trudging, almost gagging at the thought. She felt like she would throw up any second. *Damn you, Ryouga.* She'd get back at him for that... one day.

She was still aroused, which annoyed her even more, her body felt hot and her cheeks were flushed. These feelings only returned when Ryouga groped... specific places on her _female_ body. She made a mental note that she should keep Ryouga from touching her in any other way other than battle.

The thoughts of all the silly, spurious battles helped banish her thoughts from the incident, and got her temper up again.

She left Ryouga in the sand as she picked up her towel and lunchbox. She began stuffing them back in the satchel she had brought when a familiar female voice summoned her attention. Needless to say, she jumped when the voice surprised her.

"Yo! Ranma! Not leavin', are ya?" Ranma looked up at the speaker casting the shadow over her, and into the face of Amiko, Hiroshi's female Identity. Ranma forced a smile.

His friend was wearing a tight one piece splashed with black and white, it didn't conceal much and made a the pointed description of Hiroshi's now female body.

Ranma scowled, "Yeah, Ryouga ticked me and Akane off... groped my breasts..." Ranma blushed.

Amiko grinned nervously. "Heh... um, the way you, uh, look... it's like you... kinda... liked it?" Amiko was unsure, and the last few words were almost intangible.

Ranma glared at Amiko, "Yeah, but only because of some damn magic fishing rod! I don't like guys that way, 'Roshi... uh... Amiko,"

Amiko smiled, "It's alright if you call me Hiroshi, Ranma. At least, while we're not at school," Ranma forced her own smile.

"Hey, s'that your Suntan Lotion?" Amiko pointed to the bottle beside Ranma. Ranma looked at it for a moment, then said, "Yeah," Amiko stared at Ranma for a moment, a flash of uncertainty ran across her face.

"Could'ja maybe stay? I mean, I already feel funny enough wearing this suit... It makes me look so, eh... y'know. It'd really be great if you could help me for today," Amiko began laying down her own things beside Ranma, and even pulled out a small umbrella which she stuck in the sand. It cast her towel into a cool shadow.

Ranma sighed, and then began putting her own things back out.

Akane walked up, pausing to take a look at the unconcious Ryouga, and then approaching Ranma.

"Hey, sorry about Ryouga... I thought he would be better behaved," Akane felt embarrassed that her friend had been molesting her fiancee, and more embarrassed when she had looked back to see a flushed Ranma with Ryouga's arms wrapped around her.

"Nah, 's my fault. I got him worked up... I started it Akane," Ranma said as she pulled a small radio and sun-glasses out of the satchel.

Akane looked at her fiancee oddly, "Ranma? Are you all right?"

Ranma smiled up at her, "'Course I am, Hehehehehe... Why? Is something wrong?" Ranma became serious for a moment after her nervous laughter, she slipped the shades on her cute face. She had lied... the feelings that the Koi Rod had instilled in her, although almost completely gone, bothered her much more than she would have liked to admit.

"No... it's just that you usually don't admit to being the one at fault, it's usually someone else who supposedly started it," Akane walked back over to her towel and plopped down.

"What're you saying?! That all those other times were my fault?!" Ranma said half-jokingly, Akane laughed a bit.

Ranma sighed and leaned back, her beautiful body basking in the midday sun. Ryouga stirred and began to stand, hammer prints all over his face. He crawled over to Ranma's towel.

"Ga... Sorry... Ranma. But _you_ started it... I really am sorry though, about feeling your... ah... your...," Ryouga slumped back, unconcious again.

"Hiya, Pig-Boy molest girl-type Ranma?" Shampoo stood over Ranma in a blue bikini, Mousse stood beside her in white shorts.

"No, he didn't! He was _trying_ to attack me, and he fluked... tha's all. So, how's the married couple?" Ranma asked, relieved to get off the subject of Ryouga again.

Mousse looked down at Ranma and Amiko, "Well, since Cologne disappeared we've both been somewhat busy with Nekohanten, as well as sorting out all those weird magical artifacts she kept stashed in that chest of hers, this is the first time since last week we've actually been able to relax,"

"So I say to Mousse, why not we go to beach? Is sunny day, and good for swim. I fetch other bar of anti-curse soap for self, then Mousse get towel and such for sun-bathing. We not expect see you here, Ranma," Shampoo had put two towels down next to eachother while she spoke, after she was finished talking, she looked over at Ranma with a smile.

Ranma still felt a bit jealous of Mousse, Shampoo's 'Affections' were missed a bit at the Dojo. Then again, if Ranma had mentioned something like that Akane would have beat him six-ways-till-sunday. Besides... over the last two weeks Mousse and Shampoo's relationship had changed drastically.

"Is okay, Ranma. I happy, I Love Mousse. No have to worry about me," Shampoo stretched herself out on one of the towels as Mousse sat down on the other.

Ranma wondered if she was really that easy to read, but shrugged it off as Shampoo's 'Intuition'.

"Besides, I never know Mousse that flexible..." Ranma looked over at the two incredulously as Mousse blushed and Shampoo giggled.

Ranma rubbed the back of her head, pretending not to notice as the two kissed. After they were finished, Amiko spoke.

"So, ah... Mousse. Whatever happened to the old Ghoul anyways?" Mousse looked over at Amiko, remembering who she _really_ was after a moment.

"Sorry, Hiroshi. I don't know. There was absolutely no sign of her at the Nekohanten... I have a feeling she'll be back, though," Mousse shook his head, thinking about Cologne always made him nervous. Especially after the Joketsuzoku staff had been broken.

"Mousse, you go get me drink, Yes?" Shampoo seemed to order more than Ask the Amazon man.

"Yes, Shampoo," Mousse stood and dashed off to get his wife a drink.

"So, Ranma, you okay? Ryouga not hurt you, did he?" Shampoo sounded genuinely concerned as she sat up and looked at her ex-fiancee.

"I'm fine, he probably just hurt my pride a little, tha's all. Hey, Shampoo? Could you and 'Roshi... heh... uh finish up what Ryouga started... hehehe... uhm," Ranma nervously held up the sun-tan lotion.

Shampoo looked incredulously at Ranma, "Ranma? You... not a pervert... are you?" Shampoo looked at Ranma with a worried expression on her face.

Ranma gritted her teeth, "_No_ I am _not_ a pervert. I was _trying_ to make Ryouga _Nervous_. It jus' worked a bit too well. Hey, all I'm askin is for you to rub my back down, if you don't want to I'll understand," Ranma sat the bottle down and sulked as she stared out to sea.

"Is alright, Ranma. I believe you. Is no trouble," Shampoo grinned slyly. She looked over at Amiko.

"Ah. We'll put the lotion on you... but..." Amiko trailed off as Shampoo grinned.

"But what?" Ranma asked, a bit puzzled at the odd behaviour of his friends.

"You must do same for us," Shampoo said. Amiko giggled, then placed her hand to her mouth, confused at the utterly female reaction.

"You gotta be kiddin' me," Ranma shook her head, and they all started laughing.

Ranma shrugged, figuring that as a girl it didn't make much of a difference if they rubbed eachother's backs.

Akane, who had been silently reading Ranma's book looked up after she heard this. "What was that?! Hey, there's no way I'm letting you massage Shampoo's back, Ranma," Akane set the book down and glared at her fiancee. She turned a half-hearted smile toward Shampoo, "Shampoo, is it all right if I take Ranma's place? He can do Amiko," Shampoo looked over at Akane with a slightly disappointed frown, but her smile quickly returned after a moment. "Is all-right, Akane-Chan. I no mind, but first have to finish Ranma, Ne?"

Ranma looked at the exchange with interest, and Akane stared at Shampoo in astonishment. Shampoo had never called Akane "Akane-Chan" before. After Akane regained her senses and nodded, Ranma sighed and layed down on her stomach.

The two girls rubbed the cool lotion onto Ranma's back, and the red-head sighed in relaxation.

Ranma noted that her skin seemed much softer than when she was a guy, a fact she had never taken note of until this moment. She ran her hand across her arm while lying there, noticing it almost felt like silk to her touch. *Sheesh, I never knew there was _That_ much of a difference.*

"Okay, Ranma. Is our turn now. Akane-Chan! We done, here," Shampoo handed the bottle to her previous rival and layed down across her towel. Amiko mimicked Shampoo, a bit tensely at first.

Ranma nervously began, and she began humming unconciously to herself while she rubbed down her friends back. *Hmm... 'Roshi's jus' as soft as I am...* Ranma paused for a moment, as she took note of what she was doing.

The thought submerged in her mind floated to the fore-front, that her friend was _very_ attractive. That combined with the softness of Amiko's skin...

Ranma felt the blush coming on as she felt a familiar tingling, most definitely the same feeling Ryouga had roused in her. She looked around to see if anyone noticed her currently aroused state, then smiled as she continued in her work. *Note to self: Another advantage to being a girl... nobody knows when you're hot or not.* Ranma giggled a bit at the thought.

"What's funny?" Akane asked, as she rubbed Shampoo's back.

"'S nothin'," Ranma frowned as she noticed Shampoo purring. *She's not a cat now, stupid!* Ranma told herself after a brief shudder coursed through her.

The four girls were enjoying themselves immensely, Ryouga woke up and they talked a bit about some of his adventures, as well as some of their own. Ranma even turned on the radio and began to sing and dance to familiar songs, which soon had Amiko, Akane, and Shampoo doing the same.

Ryouga stared bug eyed as the girls bounced and sang, unable to bleed... he was too shocked. Especially since Ranma didn't take much notice of how much her entire body bounced when she threw herself completely into a song.

Ranma felt strangely happy listening to Akane sing. She was actually quite good. She made a personal note to tell her later.

After the current song was finished they all fell into a pile of laughter. Ranma included.

*Is this what it's like to be one of the "Girl's?"* Ranma asked herself, experiencing a new sensation.

Mousse returned several times, and was constantly sent back by _someone_ to go get something or other. Ranma felt a bit ashamed, using her friend like that. It was also a bit amusing, Mousse seemed to be enjoying himself just making everyone happy, especially Shampoo.

The girls eventually settled down after a swim, and just started talking while laying on their stomachs.

It was a perfect day. Ranma sighed, a feeling of contentedness falling over her.

The girls had switched places several times, and Ukyou had even come to join the party. Nabiki was off swimming or swindling, and Ryouga had gone swimming. Ranma kept an eye on him, to make sure he didn't get lost.

After a while, Ranma found Akane and her alone, the other girls had gone to swim with Ryouga and Mousse.

"Hey Akane?" Ranma said as they both stared up into the blue expanse above, lying flat on their backs.

"Hm?" Akane looked away from her book with a smile.

"This is fun. I mean, no fighting... jus' hangin' with you and the..." Ranma paused with a frown, she had been enjoying herself. She had been _enjoying_ being a girl! She sat bolt upright, "Ohmygosh,"

Akane sat up beside her, seeing a _very_ worried expression on Ranma's face, "What's wrong?" Akane felt a bit worried herself... about Ranma.

"It's jus' that... it's been so nice today. I mean, I've been enjoying myself, and it scares me like hell Akane... Right now I _like_ being a girl! I mean here, at the beach, with you and Shampoo and Ucchan and Amiko!" Ranma fidgeted in her seat, becoming more nervous as time passed.

"Ranma, there's nothing wrong with having fun with your friends. I mean, come on, you've never complained about having fun as a girl before!" Akane smiled, hoping to cheer Ranma up.

"No!" Ranma stood up quickly, "No, Akane! It _is_ wrong! I mean, in my _own_ head for the past four hours I've been thinkin' as if I was a girl! I I-I-," Ranma stuttered, she wasn't sure what to say.

"Ranma, come on. We're you're _friends_, does it matter so much if you're a girl at the beach? Ranma, I like it when you laugh... you don't do it often!" Ranma looked over at Akane, her own worry fell away a bit.

"You... what?" Ranma didn't know what she meant.

"Ranma, if you have to be a girl to enjoy yourself today, then be a girl. I-" Akane cut herself off before she could say more, say those words she had whispered to herself in her room so many nights. Ranma thought she had been about to say something important, and was a bit disturbed that Akane could suggest such an idea.

"Ranma, be happy, okay? Just for me, just for today...before you realized how you were acting, you were more happy than I'd ever seen you before, I like that. It makes _me_ feel good to see you having fun. Instead of being fiancee's for today, couldn't we just be friends? I mean, friends like how we could have been had you _really_ been a girl?" Akane paused, unsure if she should have said those last words.

Ranma paused, her fear escaping her. She recalled a conversation in the middle of the night she had had with Akane, such an important conversation.

That first day at the Tendo house, when the girl-Ranma had walked in... afraid that they would see the truth, afraid they would hate her forever, she had felt a strong warmth when the youngest Tendo girl asked to be friends.

That warmth had grown for the hours following, until it was violently shattered by an open bathroom door. Ranma couldn't tell Akane, but she had felt just as hurt and betrayed when their friendship had been ripped from them. There had always been a sense of disconnection between Akane and him, no matter how much their love grew... there had just been something missing when it started.

Friendship.

Akane looked at Ranma's face as several strong emotions flashed over her features, Fear, joy, anger, confusion, revelation.

Ranma looked down at her female body. It seemed like ages ago that she had fallen into the pool, and this body... what really scared her... was the fact that after six months...

It no longer felt alien. It felt like he did. When he was a she, it made no difference anymore. Had he lost the fight?

*No.* He chided himself. _She_ wondered if there had ever been a fight to begin with, then realized there had been. Ranma was still fighting the battle he had started that fateful day.

She continued staring at her body, the curve of hips, breasts, legs. The soft feeling all over her body, the red hair bound behind her head.

*Not so alien after all. Has she _always_ been a part of me? This red haired girl? Or maybe I've always been a part of her? Both?*

Akane kept staring, becoming a bit impatient waiting for an answer. She saw Ranma reach back and tug at the pigtail, and watched as Ranma's fingers gently pulled at the Dragon's Whisker.

Ranma's hair unravelled and fell to her mid-back. Akane had realized Ranma had let it grow longer when he had brushed it that morning, but didn't realize how long it had been. She gasped when all traces of the man disappeared.

"Yeah, Akane. I'll be your friend for today. Thanks," Ranma smiled a bit, the sparkle returning to her eyes.

She sat back down on the towel and stretched out. Akane looked at Ranma curiously, and Ranma noticed. Her purt lips turned up in a coy smile.

Akane was flabbergasted, the only thing she could liken to Ranma about the girl in front of her was the eyes. The ever-constant soft blue eyes which denoted Ranma and Ranma-chan as the same.

Akane sat up and looked Ranma over, starting with her delicately small feet, travelling up her long and slender legs, over her abdomen and breasts, back up to her face.

There was no man anywhere but in those eyes. Yet, Akane also noticed that her eyes were different, not in color, but in the soul.

Had Ranma somehow changed along the way? How? Why? When? Ever since the last time they had called off the engagement, he has steadily become... more comfortable?

Akane recalls that more often than not Ranma had been falling asleep as a girl for the past two weeks. More and more often it seemed like he didn't care, couldn't care about his curse.

He had started acting like everyone else. Shampoo, Genma, Mousse. They all acted like the curse wasn't a crucial flaw in their lives, just another problem they had to deal with.

Maybe Ranma had finally... Accepted his fate? *No, Ranma wouldn't do something like that.* Yet, she looked at the beautiful girl beside her, basking in the sun. Those blue eyes stared back at her with a silent understanding. Akane felt a twinge of jealousy as she compared her athletic figure with Ranma's devilishly feminine contours. *All right, _more_ than a twinge*... And the worst part of it was that Ranma wore no artificial enhancements... not a touch of makeup.

Her face seemed to be the very model of feminine contour and beauty... without the 'applications' that most girls had to endure.

"Ranma, with that bod of yours you can really make a girl jealous. Or swoon. Or both!" Akane laughed and Ranma joined in.

Ranma sighed after they were done. She knew what Akane had been asking herself. The same question she had been asking since she had fought Mousse.

Was this curse _really_ that bad? There was still a large part of her that argued yes, but that also spoke in volumes. Before two weeks ago, her _entire_ _being_ had thwarted any mental pictures of _being_ a girl. Now her mind sometimes became confused. When she thought of who Ranma was, it would be random. Either a male picture of Ranma fighting, or a female picture of Ranma fighting, or a picture of both side by side, the male half with an arm wrapped lovingly around the female.

Who was Ranma? Even Ranma didn't know.

She sighed again as they both relaxed in the sun.

Suddenly something zoomed across her breasts, and she felt the cool air brushing across now naked flesh.

"AAAAHHH!!" She threw an arm in front of her chest to hide her topless form. Akane shreaked a moment later.

Several other shreaks followed, and a mental picture of a wrinkled old martial artist formed in everyones minds as they began chasing Happosai.

"TEE-HEE! Oh, Ranma! What a wonderful day, to gift me with your Bikini top! HAHAHAHA!" Ranma began chasing the perverted old man, her breasts bobbing painfully as she ran.

"Come back here with top or I kill, pervert!" Shampoo was chasing after Happosai along with all the rest of the women on the beach, arm flung across her naked heaving bosom.

"HAHAHAHA! The superior skills of Happosai have struck again! What a haul!!!" Something silhouetted the sun and landed in front of the old man. Happosai looked up, astonished that he could be surprised. The girl had short-cropped brownish-red hair, and was wearing a tight one-piece bathing suit the color of winter snow and midnight.

"You missed me, Happosai!" Amiko stood, unscathed by the lecherous hands of the aged martial artist. Happosai blinked as he looked at the furious red battle-aura the girl was emitting. He should have _felt_ that!

"Eh? Who're you?" Happosai had almost ran into the girl, having no pre sense that she was even there.

"A friend of Ranma's, KIYA!" A Bo appeared out of no-where and Amiko twirled it furiously before she brought it around to connect with Happosai, sending him flying back into the mob.

The lech was beaten and bruised when he pulled himself out of the angry swarm of girls, and quickly hopped away in fear.

"Pervert," Akane chimed

"Lech," Shampoo mumbled

"Dirty Old Man," Ukyou muttered.

"Sicko," Ranma yelled.

The girls were walking back to their towels. Ranma had a bit of trouble putting her top back on, but finally managed. She began following the rest back to her sunny resting place.

"Ah, such a feminine blossom of womanhood I have ne'er seen. And yet, the soft rose has it's brute thorns, such is the strength wielded by the fire-haired venus before me!" Kuno recited.

Ranma groaned as she turned to look at the Kendoist. He was _supposedly_ working at the nearby docks to repair Binsense to proper working order. Ranma didn't _know_ why he was at the beach, but she steeled herself to send him skyward as she turned around.

A concerned expression was written on Kuno's face, "Yet, fair Tendo Akane hast told me of an unrelinquishable curse... that... that... that... Pardon, I stutter," Kuno looked around nervously, and Ranma felt a bit of fear rise in her stomach, as well as sadness.

"What I... Am meaning.... Is that, Fair Akane hath told me... and I must know... Are you both one in the same?" Kuno's voice seemed meak in comparison to his usual loud tirading yells.

"Uh... Kuno... Hehehe.... She... She... Told you... about...." Ranma paused, noticing Kuno hanging on her every word. She normally would have taken this opportunity to crush his aspirations, and insult him to boot.

But Ranma felt... sorry for Kuno. She hated to admit it, but she had always felt a little sorry for the man. He had imposed obliviation upon himself unlike anyone she had ever seen before. Even Kasumi wasn't as dense as Kuno.

"...yes...," Ranma's voice was hardly more than a whisper as she saw her friends features become distant, sullen, sad.

"I have been a fool, to pardon my actions I beg forgiveness... You must realize that t'were it not... that you... I am ashamed I never once realized it was you, Ranma. Forgive my insolence," Kuno turned away, more ashamed than angry at being tricked. Ranma felt bad... she should have been the one to tell him the truth.

But... he never _listened_ to her! That was the problem... she could stand just Kuno, his poetry wasn't _terrible_, it was just that he was so _dense_ sometimes.

"Hey... Kuno!" Ranma yelled, as she ran up to the Kendoist.

"Yes, my Pig-T-... Ranma?" Kuno scowled when he almost refferred to Ranma as a girl. *It's hard not to, Tachi... just look at him!* Kuno ignored the voice.

"Look... ahh.... I'm sorry 'bout all this. I mean, you must be pretty grossed out and angry that you were chasin' after a guy... hehehehe!" Ranma laughed nervously.

Kuno thought for a moment, then responded truthfullly. Whether it was truly what Kuno felt, the Kendoist didn't know... but it was a truth needed to be spoken.

"No. I am not repulsed by your malicious deed in keeping me in the dark. Nor am I repulsed now... I still have trouble, Ranma... seeing you as a man. True, tis' not so hard when form fits shape, but when shape fits not form? You are still beautiful to me, Ranma Saotome. But I realize our relationship would go nowhere, as your form of shape truly is that of a man, and I am also that which you believe you are. If I were to pursue this venture ever further, you would liken to be repulsed yourself, so I twould end it in honesty. When I view you thusly, Ranma..." Kuno paused. Ranma had listened to his words, disturbed, disgusted, and sometimes regretfull when she saw that broken look from Kuno.

Kuno took several steps away, then threw something back at Ranma. Ranma caught it effortlessly.

"You are Beautiful, Ranma. You might not know it.... but you are. Gomen Nasai, Ranma-Sempai," Kuno trudged down the beach back to the docks.

Ranma twirled the rose in her hand as she looked at it. What had he meant? Had he come over here purposely to talk to her? His last words echoed in her ears... he had even referred to Ranma as a better.

She sniffed the rose unconciously, not realizing the odd action she was taking as she walked back to her towel.

She had much to consider.


	2. Interlude

A large glass bottle sat on a bookshelf in the Tendo's guest room. It was an old bottle, ancient even, with shades of every color dancing off it's surface as the sun shone through the window onto it. A label read "Property of Happosai!!! Don't-Touch!"

It had sat there for countless months, even years... since Happosai left it there before he was imprisoned. The bottle jerked, and then jumped.

The water inside had fermented for over three-thousand years, ever since the first Joketsuzoku princess had drawn the water out of the Chiisuiton and placed it in the flask.

Over three-thousand years of passing hands from martial-artist to martial-artist and nothing had happened... till it arrived in Nerima.

When Happosai had arrived, the bottle had _felt_ the innate magical Chaos that seemed to surround the Nerima ward of Tokyo... and with the amazing power wielded by Happosai, Cologne, Ranma, Tarou, Kuno, Ryouga, Herb, Toma, and various other's...

It had summoned it's mother... the water had summoned the Mother of Oceans, of Water, Of Rain.

It jerked violently and fell off the bookcase, shattering on the wooden floorboards. The water coalesced and seemed to form into a blob. It quickly slid down the stairs, lurching it's way along. It slithered into the kitchen and looked around. Kasumi hummed softly as she bustled around the kitchen, setting a kettle on the stove to boil before Ranma got home.

The water zoomed around the room, then finally lifted itself up onto the stove and crawled into the kettle. A moment later it poured out, larger than before. It quivered a bit as it looked around, and then dropped out of sight.

Kasumi didn't notice till several moments later, when the kettle hadn't boiled yet.

She lifted it up and looked inside.

"Odd, I was sure I filled this up just a moment ago... oh well," She had to get ready for dinner before she could put another pot on to boil.

The water, meanwhile, had crawled back up the stairs and found it's way to the bathroom. It looked around, knocking over a toothpaste tube and thoroughly soaking the towels in the room as it curiously prodded them.

It made itself flat and went under the bath-tub door, and squeeled in delight when it saw a full bath of hot water.

It plunged itself in wholeheartedly, and the water slowly began to sink in level. It grew cold as the lithe form of a naked woman formed out of the water.

"Ahhhh... it's been so long, I had forgotten what warmth the mortals could emit in my water...," The blue haired, blue eyed girl considered a moment.

She consumed the cold water in the tub, shivering as she did, and formed an ocean-blue dress in chinese style.

She smiled as she sensed the water in this "Nerima", there was so much to be had... and she had been so long in that bottle... regaining her strength from the energy draining Chiisuiton.

She slowly turned into a slender tendril of water and went into the bath-spout. From there she began to spread not only from the Tendo house, but into the neighborhoods water supplies... deftly seeping through the pipes, consuming all she could, she explored a bit.


	3. Midnight Talks and Faucet Faults

Kasumi finished the dinner and smiled as she tasted it to make sure. She had done it right, just like Mother had told her.

Kasumi sighed sadly. She missed her Mother terribly, but she could do little about it. She had to be strong for her Father, and her Sisters... and Ranma.

Ranma had seemed a bit nervous when he had first arrived at the Tendo's doorstep, but that was to be expected. He had felt... different.

Kasumi had noticed, however, that Ranma grew more and more melancholy as he stayed at the Tendo's house. Problems had started following him to Nerima, and he had been a bit bothered by that.

But what really got the girl/boy was when his/her mother visited. Kasumi shook her head, recalling a unique experience not but a few days ago when she had been going to bed after helping Auntie Saotome with dinner.

Mr. Panda was sleeping outside again, as per Nodoka's orders, and Ranma was quite alone in her room. Kasumi had passed by and heard an unfamiliar sound call to her heart.

Something she hadn't heard in many years. Kasumi had taken a step back and looked through the cracked door. Muffled sobbing could be heard inside Ranma's room.

*Was Akane in there?* Kasumi had wondered, and knocked lightly on the door.

"Go 'Way... *SNIF*" Ranma had called back, and another bout of crying was heard.

Kasumi was about to leave, but something stopped her. A spur of the moment decision crossed her mind, and she opened the door gently, walked in and silently shut it behind her.

Ranma was in the corner, crying her eyes out. The small girl looked so...

*Fragile? As if the slightest touch of sympathy might break her* Kasumi had thought, as Ranma looked up with red-swollen eyes.

"Didn' I say go 'Way? *SNIF* Go on Kasumi. I- I- I don't wantcha ta s-s-see me cry...," Ranma turned her face away. Kasumi stared a moment, then approached.

She sat quietly down by Ranma with her back to the wall.

"Ranma-Chan, why?" Kasumi voiced quietly. Kasumi couldn't stand seeing people hurt, and she had noted more often than anyone else that Ranma hurt more than she could let herself show.

Ranma felt the bitter bite of depression from Kasumi's words. How could she tell Kasumi? Nobody even bothers to understand. Except Hiroshi... *He didn't have to do that. Not for me. He shouldn't have to deal with being cursed. He doesn't deserve it.* Ranma absently questioned herself to the effect of *And you do?*

She felt Kasumi take her hand, and just... hold it.

Ranma felt the immense love Kasumi had for everyone pour over her, and she almost began crying again.

"'S jus' that- Mom... she was- she was talkin' bout me, ya'know... and having- having- oh god!" Ranma turned her face away as the familiar fear washed over her, the disgust, the hatred of herself, the frightening prospect that she could... if she tried.

She wouldn't try, though. She was a man, and as a man she had to fight this Curse till the end of her days.

"She said... I would make a wonderful Mother, Kasumi. She said- she said it would make her so _happy_ to see me with children of my own. _My_ _Own_! From... from in here, Kasumi!" Ranma placed both hands on her stomach in mock disgust, fear more than disgust written on her face.

"Ranma, she doesn't know. She only sees Ranko. She was only telling the truth how she sees it," Kasumi looked at Ranma, noticing a flicker of... curiosity? And then utter disgust cross her face.

"A good Mother Kasumi. I wanna have children but-" She paused. It was longer than it should have been, as Ranma seemed to consider something, and a sad look crossed her face.

"But as a guy. I'm a g- I'm a g- I'm not a GIRL Kasumi. Not a... not a w-w-woman especially," Ranma wondered in fear what would happen if she never found a cure. She couldn't marry Akane, she couldn't condemn her Fiancee to such a relationship.

Nodoka had called her that, Kasumi recalled. Had called Ranma the "Perfect Model of a Woman,".

Ranma had acted as feminine as she possibly could during _this_ visit, which got her _that_ remark in response.

Kasumi had seen the flinch. She had seen all of them, every time. Then the utterly confused look, as if Ranma was wondering if she should be embarrassed or prideful about her Mother's remarks. This time, however, Ranma had almost broke down.

Nodoka was confused, what had she said? She had believed Ranko had made such progress.

"An'- An' she's so proud of me as a girl. Like she always wanted a girl. Like I was her daughter, the one she always wanted. An' it makes me feel bad, y'know? I mean, I'm her son. An' she doesn't know... an' sometime's I'm wondering if she wanted me to be a girl," Ranma shuddered as she thought about it. She was a man.

"I'm sorry, Ranma. Being so close to your Mother and lying every day, hurting her more and more as she comes to believe that she might never see her son or husband again... I'm so sorry," Kasumi almost started crying herself, as Ranma looked at her in wonder.

"You- You understand?" Ranma was thoroughly confused. Nobody had ever truly understood how she felt. Had Kasumi always known?

"Of course I do, Ranma. I understand many things more than people give me credit for," Kasumi looked down at the tight grip Ranma held her hand in; not painful, just enough that she couldn't escape the grasp. Kasumi didn't particularly want to try.

"Kasumi... I never told nobody but Hiroshi, but it's like the more I try to escape this curse, the harder it gets... ya'know? I mean, here I am wearing a dress and-," Ranma blushed furiously, "And lingerie... what next? Happosai would be having a ball if he were here now," Ranma paused for a moment, looking down at the floor.

Kasumi wondered something, "Why Hiroshi? It seems since that day, a few weeks ago, you've both gotten a lot closer," Ranma looked at Kasumi with worry.

"He's probably the best friend I've got. I mean, don't get me wrong Kasumi, it'd be great if you and I could talk like this more often, 's jus' that you're more like my sister, and there's some things I jus' can't tell family," Ranma beamed a bit and began staring into nothing.

"Hiroshi... Amiko, they both listen to me. They both jus' listen to what I say, and Hiroshi is open with me. Honest, ya'know? When I'm around him he makes me feel... well, more alive. I dunno, 's weird but true. It's like things- all the things, don't seem to matter as much when he's around. They seem so much less... complicated," And Ranma stared at Kasumi with her blue eyes.

A bit of Ranma's fear had ebbed when she spoke of her friend. Kasumi had been worried about... something about Hiroshi. She couldn't recall what, but she knew that Ranma told the truth. Nobody had tried to understand Ranma as much as Hiroshi did, why, the boy had even taken on the mantle of the Nyannichuan curse. Nobody had taken _that_ lightly.

"I told Hiroshi the gods honest truth, Kasumi. All of it, and he's done the same. I don't think we _have_ any secrets between us anymore, or at least not enough to count on two hands. I told him about- how I'm so afraid...," Ranma paused, unable to form the words as she shifted her gaze everywhere but towards Kasumi, and her eyes fell on what she was wearing... and she shivered.

"N-N-Never mind Kasumi. I can't tell you," Ranma thought of how every day she woke and delt with the curse, how every day she fought to keep herself from ebbing under the form of the red-headed female he saw in the mirror, kept herself from changing. She _was_ a _man_.

*But... why doesn't it seem so important, anymore? Staying a man and all. It's as if I'm less worried about losing myself. Actually, I am less worried about changing... how long have I been a girl this visit? Six days, Seven? Why am I not fidgeting by now?* Ranma felt a sinking in her stomach as something else caught her attention.

*And why haven't I had... an incident with hot water since then?* Ranma was confused, and more than a little frightened. Kasumi stood to leave, seeing no further tears from the diminutive girl and sensing deep thought from Ranma. Kasumi was a bit startled, usually Ranma never thought so avidly... the past two weeks it had been happening more and more often, usually after he spent much time with Hiroshi and Daisuke.

"I truly _must_ be getting to sleep, Ranma," Kasumi sounded slightly reluctant to leave Ranma alone. She was a bit shocked when the girls hands shot out and caught hers.

"Do you- have to... go?" Ranma asked warily. Ranma considered Kasumi like a sister, she wasn't sure how or why, but it was how she felt.

Kasumi looked down at the petite girl. The loneliness in Ranma's eyes flickered behind a mask of bravery, and Kasumi sighed with sadness. When Ranma was a man, he was brash, cocky, confident, arrogant, and soon-to-be brother-in-law.

But... Ranko was entirely different. Kasumi wasn't sure if Ranma ever noticed how he changed so drastically mentally as well as physically when he was a girl. When he was Ranko he lost that confidence... he became fragile, unsure, caring, sensitive, slightly emotional, and though he wouldn't like it pointed out...

His odd mannerisms had been taking a more... feminine turn as of late. *But* Thought Kasumi *That is to be expected... she's been spending so much more time as a girl recently. I'm sure she doesn't notice the sway, the lilt, the hand-motions... I won't tell her, though. It would make her angry, sullen, forlorn, and most of all... afraid.*

Kasumi whispered for Ranma to wait a moment, and returned with her comforter, blanket, and pillows.

That night Kasumi slept beside Ranma, the girl wrapped in her arms like a china doll.

Kasumi smiled. She hadn't spent much time with Ranma, but the time she did was usually when he was a she. Ranma didn't seem to mind the fact, however, especially as of late.

Kasumi turned the faucet on to fill the kettle, and nothing came out. She tried the cold water, to the same effect.

"Oh My, what will I tell Ranma?" Kasumi bristled.

She went to the bathroom- No water.

The garden Hose- No water.

She asked neighbors, and all said their water was gone as well. Kasumi was worried... Ranma had gone as a girl, what would happen if the water didn't come back?

*That's silly, Kasumi-Chan. Of course the water will come back!* Kasumi went back to her house, a forced smile on her face.


	4. Walking Home

Akane glared at Ranma again for the fifth time as they walked back from the beach. Her fiancee... no, her _friend_ had been idly twirling a rose all the way back, and Akane couldn't help but suspect Kuno had been at the beach briefly.

"-Anyways, when I got to the terminal it looked _completely_ different from the way the guide described, and everything was written in american, or some other language. I realized I must have gotten lost again, and that I would have to ask for _more_ directions. So I walked up to- Hey, Ranma, have you been listening to a word I said?" Ryouga stopped in his spiel and a relieved sigh escaped Ukyou's mouth, with an equally relieved chuckle from Shampoo.

"Hmm? Oh, I was jus' thinking Ryouga. Sorry, something about a terminal being different than described?" Ryouga looked at Ranma oddly, and she returned the look with a smile. She loved confusing Ryouga, but she _had_ been thinking.

"Where did you get that rose anyways, Ranma?" Ryouga grinned with his fanged teeth, "Have you taken to boys, and now you've got an admirer, huh?" Ryouga dodged the obvious attack and Ranma glared fire at the lost-boy.

"I'm a G-G- I'm not a GIRL Ryouga. I DON'T like GUY's!" Ranma thought about attacking Ryouga, but didn't see the point of it, so she just continued walking and twirling her rose. After another fifteen minutes of silence, she realized what was making everyone nervous, and realized she really _was_ twirling the rose. She stopped.

"Ranchan, are you okay?" Ukyou looked from the rose to Ranma.

"Yeah, Saotome, you seem distant today for some reason," Mousse looked directly at Ranma, even without his glasses. His vision had improved, due to the aura-reading techniques he had learned on his _training_ trip.

"Nothin' it's just that Kuno found out about the curse, via Akane, and he said some stuff. Stuff I never thought about or considered," Ranma had gone to the womens restroom and looked in the mirror; she knew what Kuno had meant, but just _couldn't_ seem to see it herself. Her self image always seemed to reflect to a man's when she looked in the mirror. As if her mind was adamantly denying what it saw.

"Akane-Chan! You actually got that lug-head to listen?!" Ukyou was surprised. From the previous encounters with the Kendoist, she had deduced that _nobody_ seemed to be able to make him face the reality of Ranma's situation. Everyone stopped in front of Nekohanten.

"Don't sound so surprised, his mind was more open when liquored up than I've ever seen him before. He was a bit shocked, and he decided to ask himself if it were true. I didn't think he would remember to ask, however," Akane looked over at Hiroshi, the boy had been silent the entire way home as he listened to everything around him. He seemed to be considering the wind at the moment, and he looked at the sky as it softly blew his hair back and forth.

He had been the only practical one in that he brought a thermos full of hot water for after the swim. Then again, Hiroshi _did_ usually plan ahead for these type of things.

"Well, Mousse and I have great time, Akane-Chan and Ranma-Chan, we hope you stop by Nekohanten some time and we talk! Bye now!" Shampoo unlocked the doors and walked into the restaurant.

"I must admit, Ranma, this was a great day. I actually enjoyed myself, hopefully we can get along as well in the future! Now, I must go help Shampoo do the daily cleaning," Mousse walked in after her, Akane smiled.

She had actually had a great day having fun with Ranma, Ukyou, and even Shampoo!

Maybe Akane had been wrong about Shampoo, she _had_ been acting completely different for the past two weeks. Akane had enjoyed not fighting for an entire evening, and Ranma had acted out the part of friend very well.

It made Akane wonder, what would it have been like to have Ranma-Chan as a friend? She knew it was an impossibility, Ranma was a man and would always be a man... but Akane had had such aspirations for her red-headed friend when the girl had appeared at her doorstep.

Like she had said before, however, it was shattered from a single open door.

Ranma seemed a bit disturbed this afternoon, but seemed to have lightened up as she saw Shampoo and Mousse leave. She had enjoyed herself too.

They were walking again, now in complete silence, Ryouga seemed to have been miffed by the fact that Ranma hadn't taken his convenient insult and responded violently by attacking him.

When they got to Ucchan's Ukyou said her goodbye, and gave Akane a kiss on the cheek. She did the same for Ranma, and hugged Hiroshi and Ryouga. She extended her usual invitation, that if any of them were hungry and in the area, they should stop by.

Akane liked Ukyou. True, she was even more protective of Ranma since Shampoo had been thrown out of the picture, but Ukyou was such a sweetheart that Akane couldn't hate her for long.

The rest of them went on ahead to the dojo, Hiroshi had called his sister and asked to spend the night at the Tendo's. She had agreed, but told him to study for his test tomorrow. He loathed the idea of more math.

"Hey Ranma, would you like to spar?" Akane blurted out as they approached the front door.

Ranma blinked, had Akane just asked to spar? She hadn't done that since the first day she had arrived... since that very first day.

"Akane?" Ranma asked, Curiously. Ryouga looked at Akane with an odd mix of frustration and sadness.

"Don't worry, I need the practice anyway. You can attack me, too, okay? I need to improve, Ranma. Just watching you and Mousse go at it in that battle reminded me again," Akane waited for Ranma to move, or speak. Ranma seemed stunned.

"Sure... I mean, but I can't-"

"Ranma, you're a girl for now. Treat me as an equal, I know you won't hurt me," Akane winked at the red-head, and headed into the Dojo.

Ranma nervously rubbed her neck. She had promised to be Akane's friend for today, not her fiancee... but was this the only way she could fulfill that promise?

"What was that about?" Hiroshi asked, as Ryouga fumed. The lost-boy stomped inside the house, angry as a storm from both the earlier events of the day, as well as the insults he had received in the past.

"I dunno. Would you like to watch 'Roshi?" Ranma slapped her friend on the back, and Hiroshi nodded his head slightly. He hadn't seen martial arts since his sister was young. His father had sometimes practiced, but not with as much vigor as Soun and his family had.

He walked in after Ranma, slipped off his shoes, and sat placidly as he watched the two girls go at it. Ranma was reluctant to attack for a while, but Akane landed two or three blows and Ranma was forced to begin blocking some of the attacks. After a while, she began light attacks as well, making sure to keep them soft.

Hiroshi watched in fascination the intriguing dance.


	5. Nodoka finds Out

* * * * * *

Ranma and Akane walked in tired and sore, Akane thanked Ranma again for the third time and walked up to her room, collapsing on her bed as soon as she got to it.

Ranma noticed Akane had forgotten to eat, and so had she. The table was empty except for her plate and some left overs. Genma sat cross-legged at the head of the table, his eyes closed. Everyone else seemed to have gone to bed, except for Hiroshi.

Ranma realized that Akane and she had been practicing for over three hours, off and on. She hadn't realized how long until she had glanced at the clock in the dojo. She was disappointed that they had missed dinner, but was too tired to worry about it. *Akane has been practicing, she's faster than before!* Ranma had noted while they were fighting. She sat down and wolfed her food as Hiroshi scribbled on that notepad he always carries around.

Ranma had figured out that Hiroshi wrote poetry and philosophical quotes on that pad, and most of the time they were quite good.

Ranma noticed her Father seemed to be waiting for something. She ignored him and continued eating. After she had cleaned her plate, she looked around for the usual kettle that Kasumi brought to the table. "Hey Pop, where's the hot water?" Ranma had suspicions that her Father had done something with the kettle. No grounds for the accusation, but he was usually the one to do such a thing. Well, him and Nabiki.

"Ranma, I have been told by Kasumi to inform you of a problem. I thought that you should hear it with a full stomach," Her Father stood and looked up. His tone was solemn and Ranma looked at him with a cautious, suspicious eye.

"Earlier this evening, Kasumi had been preparing dinner. While doing so, she noticed that the water from the faucet was not working. Through quick exploration, she learned that there was no water in the house. I have an odd foreboding that something has stolen the water," Genma looked at Ranma. She sat there peacefully, looking up at him.

"So why doesn't someone go and boil some from the Koi pond? I'm sure the fish wouldn't mind," Hiroshi slapped his head on the table as Genma shook his head back and forth. How could Ranma be so dense?

"You don't understand, Boy. There _is_ no water. None, zero, zilch. Not even in the pond. The entire place is as dry as a bone," Hiroshi looked back up expectantly, seeing no connection in Ranma's eyes.

"So... what are you saying?" Ranma seemed a bit confused. Had her Dad just said there was no water? That was silly, who would steal water?

"THERE IS NO WATER!!!" Genma yelled, raising his hands above his head.

"...what?" Ranma was stunned. She _hadn't_ misunderstood. There wasn't any water. Her mind began to panick.

"No water, Ranma," Hiroshi offered. Ranma jumped to her feet and walked up to the old man.

"You're saying there's no water in the faucets?"

"That is correct," Genma nodded.

"And none in the Pond?" Ranma knew she was grasping for straws, but had to ask anyways.

"Very perceptive," Genma crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"NO water in the ENTIRE house?" Ranma seemed flustered, and seemed to be turning red.

Genma began to grow impatient. "Is that _not_ what I have just said? You will have to remain in your cursed state until we can figure out who's taken the water, and _try_ to be a little more responsive, Son," Genma looked over at Hiroshi, who was staring avidly at Ranma.

The girl's face changed shades of red for several moments.

_((Meanwhile, at the Front door))_

Kasumi finished washing up the dishes and heard a knock at the door. She noticed Ranma and Genma seemed to be having an argument, so went and answered the door.

"Oh, why hello Aunt Nodoka! What are you doing out so late?" Kasumi beamed despite her weariness. She had said her greeting loud enough, she hoped Genma would jump in the...

*Oh My...* Kasumi realized... there was no water. She hastily thought of some explanation of why Genma, and not Ranma, was here. She quickly procured one, should Nodoka want to come inside.

"Well, Kasumi-Chan, it may seem very silly. I was having trouble settling down back at the house, when I decided to go for a walk. I ended up here in Nerima and went to a movie, not a very good one mind you. By the time I was finished, I felt it was too late to go walking back to Tokyo... so I'm terribly sorry, the only place I could think to go was here. I hope you don't mind too terribly, but might I stay the night?" Nodoka smiled her warm, Motherly smile. It melted Kasumi's heart.

"Ahh... might I come in, Kasumi-Chan?" Kasumi blushed terribly when she realized her Aunt was standing out in the cold. She motioned for her to come in. Kasumi listened carefully, and heard no noise coming from the other room. *Good, they must have gone to bed.*

"I'll be right back, Aunt Nodoka. I just have to finish putting the dishes up. You may wait in the Dining room till I get the key for the guest room," Kasumi bustled off to the kitchen humming to herself.

_((And in the Dining Room))_

Ranma blew up, as Hiroshi had feared. He saw the girl pick her father up, just as someone entered the room.

"WHATTA YA MEAN NO WATER?! I CAN'T STAY LIKE THIS, POP I'M NOT A GIRL, I'M A MAN! I'M A GUY!!! ARE YOU SAYING I HAVE TO STAY A GIRL FOR _ANOTHER_ DAY?! FOR ANOTHER DAY?!?! I SHOULD-I SHOULD-" Ranma paused in her screaming, sensing an odd presence. A familiar presence.

The blood drained from the girl's face, leaving it ghostly white. She looked over at the dining room entrance, to see the pale face of her Mother.

Her nerveless fingers dropped her Father, looking down at herself. She was a girl... her father was in human form... she had just yelled... yelled...

_((Nodoka...))_

Nodoka walked into the dining room, and stood stock still as she saw her husband being lifted by Ranko.

The girl began yelling, and each word penetrated Nodoka to the soul.

The pieces fell together. So many slight hints she never had perceived before.

Nodoka's world collapsed.

_((Ranma...))_

"Ohgodohgodohgodohgodohgod!" Ranma took a step back, and Hiroshi jumped to his feet.

Genma was blubbering on the floor about seppuku, and Hiroshi realized that this was Nodoka... Ranma's Mother.

Tears were streaming from Nodoka's face as she drew a gleaming katana from a bundle on her back.

"Ranma? Why, by the Kami, why Ranma? You are- you are a girl?! WHY?!" Nodoka sliced the dining table cleanly in half in her rage.

"Sorry! Ohgod, I'm sorry Mom- I love you! I love you... please don't hurt me, I love you...," Ranma dropped to her knees sobbing on the ground. Hiroshi was torn when he heard that sound.

"Ranma! You made a promise- I- but why?! WHY ARE YOU A GIRL!?!?!" Nodoka screamed.

"Jusenkyou... is very tragic legend of Girl who drowned in pool 1500 year ago..." Ranma managed to get out before another wave of sobs escaped. She couldn't control it.

Hiroshi couldn't stand to see Ranma hurt, it was too much... she had been through too much to be torn apart like this. He stepped between Mother and Daughter and finished for Ranma.

"Now whoever fall in pool take body of drowned girl, but in Jusenkyou, curse reversed with hot-water until next time hit with cold," Hiroshi looked Nodoka in the eye as tears streamed down the woman's face.

"My Son? I've made my son into a woman... forced him to be a woman- it is too much dishonor, I must end this, Step aside boy," Nodoka pointed her Katana at Hiroshi, who did not dare flinch.

"I am Hiroshi, not boy. I will not let you hurt Ranma, not this way. You are his Mother! Have you waited so long to simply kill your only son?! Have you been so patient to destroy the only thing you love?! Whether he's Ranko or Ranma, he still loves you, and I am guessing that you feel the same," Hiroshi didn't move, and the katana didn't move from his throat.

"I cannot! Won't- not... Ranm- Ranko... Ranma?" A flicker of confusion flashed back and forth across Nodoka's face, mixed with Anger and sorrow. Tears started flowing again, and Ranma looked up at her Mother.

"It was a promise... A PROMISE!!! She- she was supposed to be a man," Nodoka sounded unsure, and very confused. Hiroshi did not flinch as he stared down the blade.

"_He_ was supposed to come back. Now I've lost them both... they both have left!" Nodoka's eyes were streaming with tears.

"Do what you have chosen, and I promise you; your heart will die with them. Ranma loves you, listen to the words, see the _person_ not the body!" Hiroshi glanced down at the gleaming blade. *You're a fool, Hiroshi. First you curse yourself, then you jump into a fight between Ranma and Cologne, now you're willing to get your throat slit?! For a friend?!*

*_YES_* Hiroshi stated. The second voice fell silent.

Nodoka brought the Katana down a bit, her sobs wracking her at the same time Ranma wept. "How- How can I?! *SOB!* How can I see the boy who left... so long ago? I see a beautiful young woman, a woman like myself not twenty-five years ago!" Nodoka brought the sword to bear again.

"Fine. Do what you must, but heed this word. The only way you will hurt Ranma is by planting ere' 30 inches of steel within this mortal breast. Nobody will hurt Ranma without going through me _FIRST_," Hiroshi nearly yelled the last word. Ranma flinched and looked up at Hiroshi, almost blinded by what she saw.

His aura was glowing with the intensity of a fireball... if only his Mother could see. Hiroshi would not back down. "Why are you doing this, 'Roshi?! You're not involved! It's my fault- my fault I'm not a man...," Ranma looked at her Mother with a forlorn look, and Hiroshi's features softened a bit.

"I am involved, Ranma. More than you would know, and if she truly believes killing her only child will help alleviate the pain, then she can kill me as well. You've been like a brother to me, and sometimes even closer than my Sister and I were when we were growing up. Save a life and save the world, Ranma. I think the world would grieve if I let you go...," Hiroshi paused as he looked at Nodoka. Her hand trembled and he felt...

He felt it. Her sharp anger slowly ebbing away.

She dropped the Katana to the floor and she soon followed it, sitting down rather roughly next to the now damaged dining table.

"Gods. She looks just like me, like I did as a young girl. And I never noticed! Just like- oh gods, Ranma, I'm sorry about mentioning it... mentioning children, so sorry," Nodoka looked broken, and Hiroshi stepped aside, casting a hateful glance at a startled Genma.

"I never knew, you were acting like _such_ a young lady... and I never knew. All that to make me happy, and I mention having children. You must hate me, you must think I'm a monster with that sword," Nodoka looked at her Son turned Daughter.

Ranma didn't know what to say. So she hugged her Mother fiercely.

Hiroshi left the room for his futon, and was soon followed by a grim Genma. Ranma's Father had a feeling he would be sore tomorrow.

"I _love_ you Mom. I've wanted to tell you. So many times... so many times when you were so close, you were so happy to see me becoming-," Ranma paused as she remembered all the times her Mother had complimented her on her feminine actions, and scolded her for her violent tendencies.

"I never knew. I'm so sorry, If I had known, If... what am I to do now? I- that boy stopped me from making a terrible mistake... I've never liked violence, and I was about to kill you on the spot. Out of blind, foolish rage," Nodoka caressed her Daughter's hair, feeling immense pangs of guilt, as well as sorrow. Guilt because she was treating Ranma like Ranko... and sorrow because she realized there would never be a Ranko again.

"Love me Mom."

"I don't _know_ you, Ranma, are you the girl before me? Or are you some young man I have never seen before? What am I to call you now? Ranma? Ranko? I don't know. I don't even know if I can treat you like a man. I've-" Nodoka stopped. She couldn't say that to Ranma, not especially if she understood this curse, and how it had effected her son.

*A daughter. I have a daughter... and I don't. I so much wanted to see Ranko married, see her prosper and grow... but now I hate myself for thinking it. Those dreams of her have been torn asunder with the revelation that _she_ is _my_ son. Ranko... now I knew why she seemed so lonely when I was there, why I felt so hurt when I caught her crying once. I loved her... can I come to love Ranma?* Nodoka looked down at the girl.

"I don't know, Mom. If you had asked two weeks ago, I would have said I was the black-haired boy you saw in the pictures Nabiki showed you."

"But now? I don't know any more. I suppose I'm still figuring it out. I _love_ you, Mom. I don't want our relationship to die because of this... this Curse which has made my life so complicated," Ranma sat up and looked into her Mother's blue eyes.

Nodoka traced Ranma's face, almost identical to hers. Her fiery hair was even brighter than Nodoka's had been at her age, but she looked so much like Nodoka's daughter, it was hard to picture a man in those eyes.

"You look so much like me, it's hard to imagine you as a boy," Nodoka said sadly. "Do you want our relationship to change? If you become a boy again, it will. I promise you that. I... There is no way that I would not treat you differently as a son... and I don't want to lose-" She had said too much, she saw Ranma's smile vanish.

"...Your Daughter. Mom... I'm not a girl, I'm a- I'm not a girl. I'm afraid, though. I don't want you to treat me differently," Ranma smiled and twirled her finger through her long hair. She hadn't bothered to tie it back when they had returned from the beach.

"I liked cooking with you, and sometimes... even shopping. I guess you kinda hammered these feelings into me. I'm sorry, I really _have_ been trying to stay a guy. You should know... seeing 'Ranko' being tomboyish so often... but I guess that's me for ya," Ranma laughed nervously and stood up as Nodoka did.

Nodoka felt a bit of worry twinge in her. What if she couldn't undo what she had done? She had used every trick in the family textbook to make 'Ranko' more feminine. What scared her now was it had started to work. On her own son. Nodoka was sure Ranma hadn't begun to notice the soft swaying of her own hips, the easing tone she had begun speaking in, the odd hand-motions that seemed so... silly for a man to do.

"Ranma, are you a woman or a man?" Nodoka asked, squeezing her daughter's hand tightly.

Ranma's mind battled, images popping from left to right. "I... wanna say I'm a man. But recently...it's been confusing. Maybe I'm going through a phaze or somethin', but I just don't know," Ranma looked down in embarrasment.

Nodoka thought, then let go of her daughter. She picked up the sword, and Ranma grew instantly pale.

"No, this will not be used to kill. Not in this circumstance," Nodoka sheathed it, and Ranma let out the breath she had been holding.

"Go wake your fiancee, and the rest of the house. I must call your other fiancee's..."

"Uh... Fiancee, Shampoo got married while you were gone. Oh, and I _don't_ count Kodachi! So don't even think about calling her," Ranma clenched her fists when she thought of Kodachi. The woman didn't know when to stop. Ranma absently wondered what her Mother was thinking.

"Fine then, I will call Ukyou, Sad what I must do... but it must be done for now," Nodoka walked toward the phone. Ranma wanted to say something, a feeling of panic settling over her as she thought her Mother would leave.

"Mom?"

"Yes?"

"Call me whatever, it doesn't matter if it's Ranko or Ranma," Ranma found she didn't mind either. After five-months of listening to the name, she had gotten used to it. *Would be a shame if I stopped hearing it!* Ranma joked to herself.

Nodoka looked at Ranma... just looked. Ranma became nervous after a moment and began fidgeting under that stare.

*What else am I to do? This is such a mess. My Child needs to decide.* Nodoka waved Ranma away, and her son/daughter fled upstairs to wake the house.

Nodoka picked up the phone and dialed. After eight rings, a sleepy voice answered.

Ukyou: Hello?

Nodoka: Yes, is this Kuonji Ukyou?

Ukyou: Yes... who's this? And why call so late?

Nodoka: This is Ran... this is Saotome Genma's wife. I have recently been enlightened to... certain things. I have something to announce to the family, and wanted Ranma's Fiancee's to attend. If it, of course, is no Trouble, Kuonji-San.

There was a very long pause and Nodoka wondered if the girl had fallen back asleep.

Ukyou: Yes, Saotome-San. I will be over very soon.

Nodoka: Thank-you very much, Kuonji-San.

Nodoka hung up the phone with a slightly unnerved look to her. She had expected a peaceful night's rest, and maybe some soft talk with Ranko.

*Well... you've gotten one out of two, Nodoka. Just not in the way you imagined.* Nodoka's nerves were on end as she went back and sat down at what was left of the table.

Kasumi watched on, her hands clenched tightly. She had viewed the entire exchange with mixed fear and trepidation, and a healthy bit of guilt. She had not even warned Ranma of his Mother's arrival. She approached a stricken looking Nodoka with a grim mask of bravery.

Nodoka looked up at Kasumi, a confused and broken look reflected in her eyes. "Kasumi-Chan, you never told me."

"N-no, Aunt Nodoka," Kasumi looked at the ground, as her own self worth seemed to plummet.

"It's all right, Kasumi-Chan. You may tell me everything now. And I _mean_ everything. I will not let this destroy my family, but there must be something done," Nodoka added a hint of determination and strength to her voice.


	6. A Blank Slate? Sort of

Ranma gently shook Akane, noticing her fiancee was very much asleep. "Akane? Hey, Akane! Get up, sleepyhead!" Ranma shook her harder. *She's awfully cute when she's sleeping...* Ranma noted as she looked down at the still sleeping Akane.

Then again, Akane _had_ been sparring with her, and that could tire many people out. Ranma continued to shake his fiancee until she opened her eyes a bit.

"Gah... go... what? ... Huh? R-Ranma?!" Akane sat upright, looking at the window.

It was closed to her relief, and the door was propped open.

Akane was confused, had Ranma actually used the door for once? Why was he still a girl? Why was she waking him up at...

"Ranma, it's 10:30 P.M., whatever it is that's keeping you up, just ignore it. Go back to sleep," Akane rolled back over in her bed.

Ranma stomped her foot unconciously, and pulled on Akane's arm.

"Mom is here Akane! She wants to tell everyone somethin' important!"

Akane actually stood up during those words. *Well, now I know why Ranma is a girl!* Akane yawned, and tried figuring out why she was so sleepy. *Oh wait, that's right, Ranma actually sparred with me!* Akane beamed the best she could as she remembered this silent admission of respect from Ranma. *Maybe he's not such a Baka. Okay, well, maybe not ALL the time.*

Akane was dragged out into the hall as Nabiki rubbed her eyes and yawned. "What is it with you, Ranma. Whenever anyone else tries getting sleep, you make them get up in the middle of the night for some cockamami fight or another stupid, useless reason,"

"She knows," Ranma said.

Akane froze, and Nabiki stood like a statue before fainting.

Ranma looked at Nabiki on the ground, then laughed.

"Well I'll be damned, now THAT'S a FIRST!" Akane had to laugh despite herself. It was forced however, as she wondered what would happen to Ranma.

Seppuku?

_((Downstairs, in the Dining Room))_

Ranma sat with a smile in her usual spot, and folded her hands in her lap. Soun was weeping for his 'lost cause'. Kasumi was silently looking at the Table, her face melancholy. Hiroshi was grumbling about losing sleep, but glanced at Ranma and Nodoka several times. Genma seemed to be staring at his wife, with little or no response coming any time soon. Akane was nervously looking around, to see if something terrible might happen. Nabiki was surveying the damage, and looking worriedly at Akane. Ukyou was trying to fix her disarrayed hair to some semblance of modesty, mumbling complaints about being awoken in the middle of the night. Several small conversations had started, most of them wondering what this was all about.

Nodoka, however, was looking only at Ranma. The only proper way for her to repair some normality to her child's life was for her to do this. *Let the consequences be forever upon our family line, whether bad or good comes of it.*

"Quiet, please," The Saotome matriarch calmly bellowed as she stood. Everyone looked on expectantly, and Ranma had curiosity written in her features.

"Tonight I came to rest beneath the roof of Tendo's house. Tonight I became aware of a lie propigated by all within this house right now," Nodoka looked around at those seated as they exchanged glances. Ranma looked away, more ashamed that she couldn't have come out and told the truth by the second.

"All has been explained," Nodoka looked at Kasumi with a thankful look. Kasumi looked to be on the verge of crying, "And I have come to the realization that Ranma must make his own decisions for the future," Akane's face paled, and Soun looked grim as Genma's eyes widened at his wife's intended plan. Ukyou gasped as she realized the inferred meaning a moment after everyone else.

"To begin with, all rights and claims to my son's hand in marriage are completely annulled. If any have a claim for my _daughter's_ hand, those are also annulled," Nodoka looked around icily at the group, as the two ex fiancee's stared in shock at her. Soun began bawling, and Genma began speaking loudly of his shame for his son. Ukyou began telling her Yaitai story and Ranma and Akane were making like they could care even less.

"QUIET!" Nodoka snapped. Genma cringed, and Soun was too shocked to do anything but listen. Silence fell over the dojo once more.

Ranma looked at his Mother in a bit of fear. More awe than fear, though. *I can be strong when I need, Ranma.* Nodoka thought as her face softened back to her cold smile.

Nodoka breathed a deep breath in, continuing in a more level tone, "As Mother to the intended, I have such right to void any promises and agreements made by my _Husband_ that I find refutable and largely distasteful. Under the current situations... I find all of this distasteful. The way my son has been raised, the way my daughter has been treated, and the undeniable irresponsibility that my Husband has shown in his dealings with both Ranma's social standings, as well as ignoring the basic lessons of womanhood Ranma should have learned by now," Nodoka found her speech became easier with every word, as she knew there was no other way to appease the promise she had made to herself.

Everyone glanced at eachother very confused. Ranma blushed a deep crimson, and wondered why her Mother was saying those odd things about her _son_.

"Pardon me, Nodoka-San, but why do you refer to Ranma as both son, and daughter?" Soun averted his eyes when he saw Nodoka's burning glare behind the soft fascade.

"Let me continue, Tendo-San, and you will know. It has come to light that Ranma has not chosen, nor made any move toward chosing a fiancee. The only way I see that I can proceed through a promise made to _myself_ is to train my child as both girl, and boy. Sadly, Genma's influence has already shaped Ranma's crude egotistical male side... and if there were some other way, I would jump to it willingly," Nodoka stared around the room. Everyone's face went pale, particularly Ranma's.

The visions flooded back, of nightmares involving water, and babies, and being stuck, and the chiisuiton, and all the other things Ranma had faced and confronted.

"No... no! Mom, what if I found a cure?! What if I went back to China and found the Nannichuan?! It... it doesn't matter if Jusenkyo flooded! There's gotta be a cure! I can find it, Mom, I can-" Ranma was quietly cut off when Nodoka raised her hand for silence.

Nodoka looked at her daughter with sad eyes, wishing there were another way around her Promise, "I am sorry, Ranma dear. Kasumi has told me of all the times you looked for a cure... The more I dwell on how many were fakes and phonies the more I realize you really _might_ be stuck with this-"

"No! There's a way! I'll find it! I- I can't be stuck like this! I'm a M- I'm a M- a M- DAMMIT WHY CAN'T I SAY IT?!?!?!" Ranma fell back down in her seat, she had been standing while she yelled. A weak dizzy feeling came over Ranma, her stomach felt like it was cartwheeling and the blood kept rushing to her head. *I'm... not going to faint.* Ranma forced the feeling away.

Nodoka looked at her daughter with a startled expression, *That fiery spirit reminds me so much of my youth.* Nodoka pushed the thought back.

"Ranma-Chan," The girl and the group flinched at the words. Not so much their meaning, but the basic fact that they came from Nodoka.

"Ranma-Chan, did you say that Jusenkyo was a training ground?" Nodoka recalled the brief tale the girl had skimmed over on their first meeting. The meaning of the guides words had never been apparent to anyone, until Nodoka had given it some thought.

"Yes, that's what I said, Mom," Ranma looked up from her depression into her Mother's patient eyes.

"Tell me, Ranma and Genma, did you think it was a Martial arts Training ground? Did it never occur to you that whoever fell into the pool fell in for a _REASON_?!" Nodoka calmed her voice, lest her anger take over.

Ranma's mind clicked. Hiroshi had tried to tell her, and so had his Sister Memeko. None of it had made sense until the question of the training grounds _true_ nature of training had been brought out by Ranma's Mother.

"You mean-" Started Genma.

"Yes, Husband. You've already learned how to accept your curse, accept being a Panda. Even the _other's_ that Kasumi has told me about had no trouble dealing with their curses. Ranma, however, has the ultimate task. She has to learn _who_ she is, not _what_ she is. Fate must have been cruel or insightful to plague my child with such a curse. I believe it is our duty to train Ranma in the way's of the woman, and let him make a decision of his own volition. I will not force upon Ranma the sexual innuendo that most girls learn, nor will I force him into any abnormal preferences that make him uncomfortable. I believe this curse was intended to teach Ranma the inherant problems of being a woman, so I plan on doing just that," Nodoka felt queezy as she thought of all the things Ranma will hate, and all the things that Ranma didn't know.

She wished with all her heart that there were some other way to avoid the Seppuku, but the only thing she could think of was to delay the promise till her first oath had been fulfilled.

She hoped she could do it when the time came, she somehow feared she couldn't. A promise to herself... to her Mother...

She had sworn to pass on her Mother's teachings to her first daughter... Sadly that was...

Ranma.

"You may all go and think about this. Ranma's training will begin tomorrow on Monday. On Monday's, Wednesday's, Friday's and Sunday's Ranma will be trained as a girl. Tuesday's, Thursday's, and Saturday's will be spent in the company of my husband and Soun, I am trusting you two not to screw up, or there will be dire consequences," Nodoka clenched her fists as everyone stayed silent.

Ranma looked worriedly at Akane, and the girl noticed. Her face softened a bit, and Ranma panicked. What's worse is, she opened her mouth.

"Well, at least I don't have to worry about that Kawaiikune Tomboy anymore!" She realized she may have said one word too many as a mallet was drawn out of thin air and connected solidly with her head.

Nodoka sighed, this was going to be more trouble than she thought.


	7. Seems Familiar

Nodoka silently closed the door to the guest room. She sighed and threw herself on the bed with a muffled sob. It seems like her world was falling to pieces, that innocence from her teenage years seemed as if broken into a thousand stabbing shards of pain.

Nodoka turned over on her back, looking up at the ceiling. Her mind drifted to long ago, to a small hospital room in the outskirts of Tokyo... to a modest little house owned by Tofu Agami, Tofu Ona's father.

She recalled three words which changed her life forever...

**"You are pregnant, Nodoka-Chan. Ten weeks," Agami looked at the nervous girl with her hair tied back. The red mane had been darkening for three years now, but still held a very luxurious fiery hue. She was dressed in a spring-green Kimono, with her fiery hair tied back in a pony-tail. Nobody would believe Agami-sensei if he told them that behind this very model of a woman was a fiery spirit to match Oni.**

**Nodoka placed her hand on her belly, aware of a strange shock coursing through her. Fear gripped her heart. At the age of twenty, she had never even thought about having children... and all it had taken was a single time with someone she didn't even think she liked. *Baka... Genma, I wonder if you'll even be a responsible enough father to stay in one place long enough to raise our baby...* Nodoka worried.**

**She recalled, a few months ago, when her fiancee had let down his guard at a dance. She recalled all the times they had fought over the arrangement between their parents, but neither had had the guts to face them... least of all Genma.**

***And now, Genma-kun... this new life will force us into a difficult decision...***

**"Have you told Genma? I'm sure he would like to know that his fiancee is with child. This might change things...," Agami laughed at the thought that Genma would have to settle down, just like his friend Soun. Nodoka shook her head, and breathed in quickly as she ran her hands over her belly. She couldn't feel anything... it scared her and caused her amazement that she was actually pregnant.**

**Agami-sensei smiled and spoke, "I think you should talk to Soun's wife. She's already been through two pregnancies, and she is actually expecting another. She might be able to help you through this first time," Agami sensei looked at Nodoka with compassion... he had a feeling that her child would be very special.**

**"Thank you, Agami-sensei," Nodoka stood, and began to walk to the door. Agami watched her stop and turn around.**

**"Agami... I might not be back here for a while, so I want you to come by every now and then," Nodoka felt very nervous about all of this, Agami-sensei could tell. She was likely wondering what to tell her parents, as well as her soon-to-be-husband. He nodded to her request.**

**"And... Agami-sensei, what do you think would be a good name?" Nodoka looked at him dead serious. He was a bit startled, usually the name was consulted upon, and usually not so soon. He quickly regained his composure and thought for a moment.**

**"Truthfully, Nodoka-Chan? With your fiery spirit and Genma's fierce male bravado, not to mention skill in the martial arts... I would most likely say..." Agami-Sensei paused for a moment in thought, before he came up with two _different_ names.**

**"... I would say Ranma 'Wild Horse" or Ranko, the gender opposite,"**

**Nodoka liked both names. Maybe if she had a girl...**

Nodoka laughed for a good ten minutes as she found a clue to Ranko's identity sixteen years in the past. *And to think, I never figured it out!*

A knock at the door caused her to pause in her merriment.

"Nodoka-Chan? May I come in?" Genma's voice echoed from outside the door.

Nodoka sat up, straightening her appearance for several moments as her husband waited on the other side of the door.

"Come," Nodoka voiced, just loud enough for Genma to hear.

Her husband opened the door and shuffled in nervously. "I am sorry, Nodoka-Chan... for not telling you, but coming home meant fulfilling the promise. You understand my predicament, don't you?" Genma sat down on the bed beside his wife, and she edged away a bit.

"_No_, I don't understand. I only understand that my husband is a coward, and that he had been keeping my son... my daughter... my CHILD away from me! Ten years, Genma Saotome, ten years of unrelinquished anguish because of your foolish pride! When the letters stopped, I feared that you had both been killed... or worse," Nodoka looked at her husband, finding a familiar stirring deep in her heart.

Genma looked down at the ground, inwardly flinching from his wife's comments. *She is right... I am a coward. I'm not even brave enough to face the responsibility of my son. I should have tried harder to teach him... not to be like me.*

Nodoka almost started crying again as she spoke, "I would have done it, Genma. You know me... I would never have hesitated in killing you both. I felt so utterly betrayed and duped. You would both be lying on the ground bleeding to death if it wasn't for this Hiroshi... who is he?" Nodoka recalled the fierce gleam in the boy's eyes, the very real threat of violent reaction to her deeds.

"He is just a friend of Ranma's from school, I didn't realize any of them had guts except for Ryouga," Genma scoffed at the thought of the Lost boy, who hadn't been seen since earlier that night.

"You are such a terrible judge of character, Genma-kun. That's always been your major flaw... that and the, what was it again? Oh yes, the so called 'Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts Final Attack!'. Running away is a much more widely accepted term," Nodoka smirked at her comment, then realized where the conversation was heading.

"If you intend that as an insult, I am not obliged to agree. It is a very famous technique among our line, but I wouldn't expect _you_ to know anything about that, being a misinformed traditionalist!" Genma crossed his arms, as he told his version of the truth. Nodoka realized there was no going back, as her own anger consumed her will of control.

"How would you know what I know, you sanctemonious Baka?! You've been gone for ten years! Oh, so sorry, let me rephrase that, you've been a 'Panda' for the last several months!" Nodoka and Genma jumped up and faced eachother, fists drawn at sides. Nabiki and Kasumi were standing at the door by now, and Akane had just joined them.

"That has nothing to do with this! Why should I care what you think?! You're always insulting my talents, and throwing my superior abilities into question, you Flame-Headed Oni!" Genma threw the insult with familiarity. Ranma and Soun were watching by now, with Hiroshi jumping up over peoples heads to try and see what was going on in the room.

Nodoka's face turned red and a blue aura shot up around the woman. "What was that?" She said in a surprisingly calm voice.

"Oni-Woman! Red-Headed She Devil! Violent Demon of a girl!" Genma got louder and louder with his insults.

Nodoka seemed to pause for a moment, then her voice rang out, "GENMA NO BAKA!" And Genma Saotome was beaten half-to-death then sent somewhere into the constellation of Casseiopeia.

Nodoka stormed to the door slamming it in everyone's faces, then threw herself on the bed and cried.

_((The Others))_

Akane and Ranma looked at eachother, completely confused why either of Ranma's parents would act so immature. They were like bickering children.

Soun just shook his head and went to bed. Murmuring, "Some things just never change, Saotome," and he smiled as he left.

Kasumi was startled, but whispered a good night to everyone before retiring to her own room.

Ranma and Akane asked simultaneously, "What was that all about?"

Nabiki and Hiroshi burst into raucous laughter.

"Oh, geeze. This is too much. Maybe it's some kind of Saotome marriage-curse or something!" Nabiki walked back to her room laughing all the way as Hiroshi spoke.

"Did we miss something?" Akane asked, looking at Hiroshi. Everyone had seemed slightly amused at the incident. Ranma and Akane didn't know why.

"Nothing, Akane-Chan. Nothing you would not get angry at, at least," Hiroshi moved to go back to his room when Akane's anger flared and she attempted to grab Hiroshi's hand.

Someone tapped her on the shoulder and both Ranma and Akane blinked. She had missed his wrist, and he had even startled her from behind.

"Gomen Nasai, Akane-Chan. I really need to get some sleep, though," Hiroshi yawned and walked into Ranma & Genma's room.

"How the hell-" Akane started.

"Did he do that?" Ranma finished. Ever since Ranma had begun spending more and more time around Hiroshi, he had realized that Hiroshi _could not_ be sensed. It caused much disturbance by the simple fact that Hiroshi was constantly scaring Ranma from behind.

"Hey, Akane"

"Ranma," They both said simultaneously.

The red-head giggled and Akane smiled. Her smile was quickly washed away when the reality of their situation hit them.

"Ranma... I guess this means we don't have to worry about that... engagement anymore," Akane sounded sad that Ranma's Mother had negated all of Genma's promised iinazukes.

"Yeah... I mean, it _is_ kinda weird... not being engaged to such a... I mean, not being engaged to you, Akane," Ranma looked up at Akane with her blue eyes, recalling several weeks ago when they had returned from China... Saffron defeated.

The most vivid and color-filled memory in all of Ranma's life was seeing Akane in that wedding-kimono. Till the day Ranma died, she would never forget the surge of unadulterated love in her heart that had threatened to overwhelm her.

"I know what you mean..." Akane paused, and then yawned as the familiar ache of a three-hour workout caught up with her mentally shocked mind.

"Well, I guess we should be getting to bed... good-night Akane," Ranma leaned up and kissed her on the cheek, then looked at her in confusion.

Akane's hand stole to her cheek, similarly in confusion. After a moment she smiled and did the same for Ranma.

Ranma froze when Akane kissed her on her cheek, and a warm feeling spread over the petite red-head. She turned and walked back to her room.

Akane was still smiling about the kiss. It might not be very romantic... but with Ranma, it was a start. Akane paused and watched Ranma walk to her room, shared with the now absent Genma and the sleeping Hiroshi. After a moment, Akane turned and walked back to her own room, her smile forgotten. Something had disturbed Akane about the _way_ Ranma was walking... it seemed familiar somehow, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

She had the energy to change into her pajamas before she curled up on her bed and quickly escaped to a peaceful sleep filled with colorful dreams of the fair.

_((Some time later, on the streets of Nerima))_

Ukyou walked down the shadowed street, thinking about the dire fate Saotome Nodoka had just announced for Ranma.

*How _could_ she?! I love Ranchan! How _could_ she do that to me? How could she do that to _him_?! He's not a girl! He's my Ranchan!* Ukyou punched a lampost, creating a crack that spidered out. Ukyou's fist hurt, but her heart hurt more.

She knew that with her out of the picture, and with Ranma living with Akane that she hardly had a chance at all. What could she do? She didn't have a claim on her Love anymore, ripped away by the woman who gave birth to Ranma... who, it seemed, would be leading Ranma's life for a while yet to come.

Ukyou couldn't hold a grudge, though. Not against Saotome Nodoka. She had heard about how Ranma felt when she visited, she had even seen it once or twice when 'Ranko' stopped by Ucchan's.

Who was meant for her? If Ranma chose Akane, what would she do? She had never given the thought much consideration. She had always thought that she held a place in Ranma's heart. Maybe she did, just not in the way she wanted.

*Friends, how could he?! Friends... I want- I _need_ so much more from him! How can we be just friends?! Who is left for me when he is gone?* Ukyou looked up at the sky, considering the stars.

"Uh, excuse me ma'am, which way is the Tendo Dojo? I seem to be a bit out of place," Ukyou looked down and into the face of Hibiki Ryouga. She shook her head, and Ryouga blushed when he realized who he was talking to.

"Ah sorry, Ukyou. It's just that- well... you know how I am. If it _WASN'T_ for Ranma... Grrrrr," Ryouga started glowing faintly with an aura of anger, and Ukyou took a step back in alarm.

Ryouga's aura blinked out a moment later when he saw her step away, a bit of fear in her movements. "Ah- sorry again, Ukyou. I guess I'm not just twice cursed. I'm thrice cursed with this uncontrollable anger," Ryouga's demeanor shifted as his shoulders slumped, his eyes losing all reflection of light, and even the moon's glow was darkened around the Lost boy's dismal mood as a cloud passed over it.

Ukyou had to do something, just _being_ near Ryouga when he was like this was almost as bad as being Ryouga himself!

"Ah, C'mon, Ryouga-kun. Don't feel so bad, here, How's about I take you back to my place and you can sleep there," Ukyou forced a smile through the wave of depression washing over her from Ryouga.

"Gee, I don't know, I think I'd just be trouble to you. Maybe you shouldn't bother," Ryouga's depression seemed to double, a seemingly impossible feat. Ukyou felt like she would start crying if she didn't get him happy _soon_.

"No, you're no trouble, sugar. I mean, a cute guy like you? I'm sure you're pretty hungry, sweety, I'll cook something if you come back to the restaurant with me! Besides, Ranma has enough trouble for one night. His Mother's visiting," Ukyou was startled when Ryouga flashed her a fanged smile.

Ukyou's words had made Ryouga feel slightly better, and with Ranma's Mother there he would be living through hell for the next few days. *Why not grab something to eat? You haven't eaten since this morning...* In response, Ryouga's stomach grumbled.

Ukyou laughed, and that raised Ryouga's spirits even more. *She has a nice laugh.*

"C'mon, I'll fix you a special Okonomiyaki," Ukyou began walking again.

Ryouga was about to protest, when he realized that if she left he would be lost again. He quickly followed Ukyou.


	8. Bedbugs and Breakfast

Ranma slowly fell asleep from the events of the day, from Ryouga's 'Accident' to her Mother's proclamation. Lucid visions invaded her thoughts, she tried valiantly fighting for a dreamless sleep... but the images quickly overtook her mind.

**Ranma stood on a circular slab of stone, and walked a sinuous line between. Looking to her left and right she noted that the rock was black on one side, and white on the other. A black dot stained the white side, and a white dot redeemed the bleak darkness of the black side.**

**Suddenly, the black half rose up into a wave that quickly engulfed Ranma. She was floating far above Jusenkyo, a palace in the distance. She realized she could fly, and began to whisk her way toward the enormous tower.**

**The farther she travelled, the more she couldn't remember who she was.**

**Suddenly, the forgetful girl appeared in a large room, where a battle was ensuing. A man dressed in white garb said something to a red-haired girl, and the girl tried flinging herself forward, tears in her eyes.**

**Why was she crying? Her friends restrained her, a strange boy with a bandanna, and a girl in a white gi.**

**Who are they?**

**The dream shifted, and there was a wedding procession. Ranma recalled her life now, but couldn't recall that strange _other_ part of the dream.**

**Akane and Ranma kissed, sealing themselves together forever. Suddenly Ranma found herself not across from Akane getting married, but in the air... being pulled away from Akane by someone she knew... someone she trusted.**

**She stabbed him with a dagger she had found in her hands, and his form fell away as he gasped his last breath.**

**Suddenly Ranma realized... her path might have been chosen late. This person was trying to save her from herself. It said there was another choice, not what Ranma thought _felt_ the most right, but the true path... masked in confusion and sorrow, hidden behind what seemed the wrong decision.**

**"Ahhh... Jusenkyo very old, very famous Training grounds... what of? You mean you not know? NO SIR! YOU NO CAN PRACTICE HERE! It Jusenkyo, Training Grounds!" The guide said. Ranma didn't understand. He just shrugged and jumped into a pool.**

**Ranma walked back out, both confused and scared that he was now a girl...**

**And what was that laughing?**

Ranma woke up to Hiroshi shaking her. "Hey, man, wake up! Your Mom said it's time to start," Hiroshi stood up when he saw Ranma's eyes drift open.

"Gah! Gimme a break, 'Roshi. She didn't put _you_ up to this too, did she? Lemme sleep, I'm not a girl and I'm not gonna start actin' like one," Ranma turned over onto her stomach and held the pillow over her head.

"C'mon. It's your Mom!" Hiroshi looked out the window at the black sky, not yet lit by the morning sun.

"Whatime'sit? 6:30? 7?" Ranma threw the pillow aside and looked up at Hiroshi.

"Actually, it's 4:30 a.m.," Hiroshi smiled when he heard Ranma groan.

"Get up, Ranma. Or would you rather have Akane cook breakfast?" Hiroshi was surprised when Ranma leaped to her feet with a smile.

"Hey! You don't have to let her do _that_," Ranma sighed with sadness. She guessed that the only way out of this was _through_ what had been planned. *No sense letting Akane poison us with her food. Hey, I'm doing everyone a favor!* Ranma tried to convince herself. Her comforting words didn't make her feel better.

Ranma shambled down to the living room, where her Mother was silently awaiting her presence. Nodoka looked up at her Daughter with a controlled smile as she noted that Ranma wasn't per-say a 'Morning' person. She concluded that the only reason Ranma wasn't awake was because her Father hadn't woken her up to go practice in the back yard.

"Good Morning, Ranma," Nodoka smiled and stood. Ranma looked blearily at Nodoka.

"Mom, it's four-o'clock in the morning! Sheesh, why'd you get me up _so_ early?" Ranma sat down at the table and began nodding off again. *Jus' a few more minutes and I'll feel fine...*

Unfortunately, Nodoka couldn't wait. "Up. Your training begins when _I_ choose it to, and I've lost a lot of time to your Father. Needless to say, you should catch me up on everything you've been doing," Ranma looked up at her Mother with a curiously perplexed look on her face.

Ranma began to speak, but Nodoka held up a quieting hand. "You may speak of your travels while I show you the basics, now up to the bathroom young lady," Nodoka inwardly flinched at the word, Ranma outwardly flinched.

"I'm not a-"

"No arguments, now go. I will be right behind you," Nodoka picked up a small box as Ranma stood back up.

Ranma thought to say something else, but decided against it. She wasn't so sure she had gotten over the Katana. Actually, she was more afraid her Mother hadn't gotten over it.

She shook off a bit more sleep and walked up to the bathroom, cursing her luck in her head. She was at least wise enough not to do it in front of her Mother.

"Don't scowl, dear, it's not lady-like," Nodoka smirked when Ranma's scowl got deeper. Nodoka had a pretty good idea what was going through her Daughter's mind at that moment.

"Sorry, Mom," Ranma did her best to wipe the anger from her face, and managed it to a point.

In the bathroom, Ranma looked in the mirror with a gasp. "My... my hair is a mess!!!" Ranma had forgotten that she had let it grow out before she washed it with Shampoo's Formula 699(Which helped negate the rapid growth for a while). She had also forgotten that she had let it down at the beach.

"My, yes. You do look a fright, don't you? Here, sit down and let me show you something," Nodoka had carried a chair into the bathroom, and quickly pushed Ranma down into it.

"Watch carefully, dear," Nodoka began brushing, spraying, cutting, and curling Ranma's hair at a rapid pace. If it hadn't been for Ranma's quick eyes, Ranma would have missed everything.

"Remember that, you'll be using it from now on for the days I will be training you. You won't like the punishment if you forget," Nodoka smiled a sly grin, *Best to let their own imaginations work up a fitting punishment, Kami knows I have no ideas.*

"Gee, uh, thanks Mom," Ranma looked at her hair, which was now styled and quite clean. She reached into her pocket, pulled out the Dragon's whisker and started to put it in her hair. It was snatched away by Nodoka.

"Hey! I need that!" Ranma made to grasp the thin string but Nodoka evaded the obvious motion.

"Not today, Ranma. I will give it back to you this evening. Now here," Nodoka handed the box she had been holding to Ranma. Ranma looked at it in puzzlement.

"It's make-up, dear," Nodoka said, a slight bit of uncertainty in her voice. Ranma looked at her incredulously and tried handing the box back.

Nodoka pushed it away with one hand, "It is yours, I bought these for 'Ranko'. I suppose that means for you... if you want, we could deal with this some other day, Ranma. But we _will_ have to deal with it," Ranma considered the box, the blood draining from his face.

"You're- you- you were serious, weren't you?" Ranma set the box in her lap and looked up at her Mother.

Nodoka twinged inwardly when she saw the sad, broken look in Ranma's eyes. *I can't do this to him... but I made a promise! Kami, if I could take it back I would... but she's my first, and I promised Mother.* Nodoka closed her eyes, shutting the tears away behind her lids.

"Yes, Ranma... I'm sorry. I promised my Mother... promised that my first Daughter... I'm sorry, this is all your Father's fault," Nodoka opened her eyes and looked into her Daughter's eyes. *Ranma, your eyes are the only constant. Why am I going to do this? Because of the Promise? Because of my own selfishness? Or because this is what I think you need... to understand the difficult decision you have to make between Akane and Ukyou.*

"It's okay, Mom. It's not so bad, I mean, it's just make-up, right?" Ranma's words sounded hollow to her own ears. She didn't want to do _any_ of this, but Honor required her to... if her Mother had made a promise she had to help her see it through.

"Uh... what do we start with?" Ranma forced a smile. *Maybe it _really_ won't be as bad as I think...*

Nodoka returned the smile and began to speak.

_((1 hour and 30 minutes later, in the Kitchen.))_

Ranma was dressed in her school uniform with an apron tied around her waist. Nodoka was quickly getting ingredients from around the kitchen.

*Why'd I ask Mom how to cook western style? Oh yeah, Memeko. Good stuff.* Ranma licked her lips as she imagined the meal she had eaten several times over at Memeko's house for breakfast.

Ranma blinked when Nodoka pulled out several bottles of water from her bag.

"Hey! Where'd you get that from?!" Ranma made to snatch the water, and earned a quick snap to the back of her hands with a spoon.

"OW!"

"You will not get this until _after_ dinner tonight. As for where I got it, I always carry around water. It's quite a healthy habit, Ranma. Remember that your body needs about a gallon a day," Nodoka handed Ranma one of the bottles with a stern look. "And don't let me see you try and warm that up. That's for your lunch," Nodoka turned back to her bag and pulled out a book.

It was a brown leather bound book that said "Family Recipes" on the cover. Nodoka rifled through it then turned to Ranma.

"I would like to see you do this on your own, I trust your abilities with this. Follow the recipe to the letter, and Soun will most likely bawl," Nodoka handed the book to Ranma very carefully.

"This is our _own_ family recipe, not even Genma knows what's in that book. Treat it and it's secrets with respect and you'll be a cook to be reckoned with," Ranma looked at the book in awe from her Mother's words. This wasn't something to be taken lightly... her Mother was sharing family _secrets_ with her! Ranma smiled as her hands began to move with rapidly growing speed.

"That's my girl," Nodoka smiled as she watched her child create a masterpiece of a breakfast.


	9. The More Things Change

Akane woke up groggily, unsure about what time it was. She noticed she was far off her usual rising time, and wondered why. Then she noticed that there were no fighting noises outside and connected two and two and surprisingly got four.

Soun was already up and reading the paper as he listened to Kasumi and Nodoka speaking with Ranma in the kitchen, someone was trying to give someone tips on how to cook.... Soun assumed it was Nodoka and Kasumi conferring.

More often than not, they repeated what eachother said but changed the way it was said so it sounded new.

Genma had as of yet, not come back. He would most likely arrive near noon if Soun guessed correctly.

Nabiki was scribbling on her notepad and using her calculator to figure her net profit for the week, while she considered the previous nights events.

Hiroshi was sitting out near the koi pond watching the sun rise as it cast it's life-giving beams over the Tendo's fence. Hiroshi missed the jumping fish from the Koi pond, now strangely absent of water.

Akane joined her Father at the table, and Nodoka walked out of the kitchen with Kasumi.

Everyone was seated quietly as Soun finished reading the paper. "Ah, so what's for breakfast...?! Kasumi? Who's cooking if Nodoka isn't?!" Soun, Nabiki, and Hiroshi all looked at Akane, and relaxed finding she was seated in her usual spot.

"What's wrong with you people?! I am _not_ that bad!" Akane vehemently denied.

"Denial is a sign of psychosis, you know," Hiroshi chimed, and Akane glared at him in contempt.

"Well? Who's cooking?" Soun asked, looking around.

"My Daughter, Tendo-San," Nodoka smiled as Ranma walked out with plates balances on her head, and in her arms and hands.

"Breakfast is served, Saotome Family Recipe #212-Western style Pancakes with fried bacon!" Ranma, in a blur of motion, sat each plate down in front of each member of the household. She noted casually that Ryouga was missing and shrugged. *Feh, he'll be back in about a week.*

Ranma held her breath as she waited for Soun to take the first bite, and Akane looked at Ranma strangely.

Ranma's hands were unconciously fiddling with her apron, trying to straighten the wrinkles out, and Ranma's hopeful eyes were transfixed on Akane's Father.

The most disturbing thing to Akane, however, was that Ranma was wearing make-up. Warrant, not much, but even a little make up was abnormal for Ranma... it made her look...

Beautiful. Akane felt a bite of jealousy, and Soun took the first bite.

Everyone paused.

"Uhh, so howd'ya like it, Mister Tendo? Is it any good?" Ranma sounded nervous, and frantic.

Nodoka simply smiled. She _knew_ that her Daughter had done it right, and Ranma had even made a few unique revisions that Nodoka had never considered before.

Soun's eyes teared up, "It's- it tastes wonderful!!! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" Soun started bawling and Ranma jumped for joy, before regaining her composure.

"Daddy? Are you all right?" Nabiki looked at her Father, then sampled the food herself. She unwittingly froze as ten different sensations hit her in the head. Never in her life had she ever tasted something so... so...

Perfect.

Kasumi was likewise shocked, and Akane seemed furious for some reason.

"It's- it's SO WONDERFUL!!! BWAHAHAHAH!" Soun began bawling on Kasumi, Kasumi smiled at Ranma then winked.

"Gee, uh, thanks you guys! Mmmm... what about you Akane? You haven't even tried yours yet!" Ranma looked at his ex-fiancee with worry.

"I don't need to, Ranma. It's wonderful. Splendid. So goddam perfect. I'm going to school," Everyone at the table flinched when Akane cursed.

Akane stood to leave, and Ranma put her hand on her shoulder stopping her advance.

"Ranma, let me go," Akane tried keeping her voice calm and level. It didn't entirely work.

"Please Akane, I cooked it for you!" Ranma let go of Akane's shoulder as the girl turned around.

"What makes you think that you can- what?" Akane paused as she heard Ranma's last few words.

"I made it for you, all of it. I jus' wanted to make the best for you," Ranma looked down embarrassed by what she just said.

Akane felt her heart sink. She had been so rude this morning, the least she could do was just _try_ Ranma's food.

She sat down, and Ranma waited with the same feminine pose as before. *Feminine pose? When did he start that?* Akane shook the thought out of her head and tried the food.

Her mind was numbed. She couldn't form words. The food reminded her of her Mothers... she started to... to...

"Oh no... Oh geez, what'd I do now?! I'm sorry Akane, please don't cry! Is it that bad?! Is it terrible? You don't haveta eat it! I won't make you!" Ranma was babbling like a fool, which only made Akane cry harder.

"Nothing... *SOB!SOB!* Nothing's wrong with the food! *SOB!* It reminds me of... of.... of MOM!!! WAHAHAHA!" Akane was crying in her hands, and Kasumi and Nabiki got a distant, sad look in their eyes when their Mother was mentioned. Soun started bawling again.

Nodoka looked up at her daughter, who looked positively miserable. Nodoka realized that Ranma couldn't handle _really_ hurting someone where it counted. In their heart.

"I'm sorry," Ranma said, her own depression welling up within her. Ranma shuffled up to the bathroom slowly, to get ready for school. "Very sorry, Akane," Ranma muttered at the bottom of the stairs as she began walking up.

"Wait! I'll... I'll eat it Ranma. It's quite wonderful, really," Akane smiled, and Ranma looked back with a grin. Ranma's mind locked and the familiar panic of dealing with affection caused his mouth to emit a common response.

"Yeah, makes a statement 'bout your food, huh?" Ranma's eyes widened in shock and she slapped her hands over her mouth, but it was too late as a mallet came down on her head.

"That's RIGHT I forgot! We're not ENGAGED anymore!" Akane started drumming her hammer on Ranma, who ran upstairs as quickly as possible.

"I hope Akane doesn't Ruin Ranma's school-dress, it cost me a good 1500 yen," Nodoka began eating the food, not at all surprised at it's near perfection. *Will have to work with her on the spices, though... still not quite right.*

"Saotome-San?" Hiroshi looked over at Nodoka with a silent expression.

"Yes... Hiroshi, was it? I forgot to thank you last night, you kept me from making a horrible mistake. Domo Arigato, Hiroshi-San," Nodoka bent at the waist in a slight bow, the best she could do in a Kimono while kneeling.

"Ahhh... you're welcome. I was just wondering... is it really necessary for Ranma to be trained as a... as a... as a..." Hiroshi stuttered and couldn't seem to form the word, he felt frusterated that something so simple could elude him so easily.

"A girl? Yes, he is as much my Daughter as he is my Son, sadly to say. I made a solemn oath to my Mother to teach all I knew to my first daughter. Naturally you see the comedic, as well as ironic dramatical value in such a curse," Nodoka forced a smile, trying to find the humor in it herself. It really _wasn't_ funny, in fact she hated doing it.

"I guess. If you please, I'll watch out for... ahhh... _her_ the days she is required to be a girl. I give you _my_ word that so far as I'm concerned, nobody will harm her emotionally. She can fairly take care of herself physically, Saotome-San," Hiroshi bowed slightly after he spoke, and silently began eating his food.

"Call me Nodoka," Hiroshi nearly coughed on his food, and everyone looked at her oddly.

"Wh-what, Saotome-San?" Hiroshi thought he had heard her insist he use her first name. He swore he must be imagining things.

"Call me Nodoka, it's the least I can do for someone who saved my Son's life," Nodoka smiled as everyone glanced around uneasily.

"Y-Yes, Nodoka-san," Hiroshi looked nervously at Nodoka.

"Just Nodoka," Everyone's eyes nearly bugged out.

"Yes, Nodoka. I am sorry," Hiroshi stood up and walked out to the back yard nervously.

Nodoka looked at everyone puzzled. *Why are they acting so oddly? Doesn't the boy come over often?* Nodoka owed Hiroshi much. She wasn't sure what would have happened had he not stepped in.

"WHOOHOOO!!! I'M BAAAAACK!" An old voice yelled from everywhere.

Suddenly, in a puff of green smoke, Happosai appeared on the dining table, and quickly gobbled up the left-overs. "Wonderful! Wonderful! If I never live to eat again, I'd- Eh?" Happosai looked at Nodoka for a moment, then leaped in the air and let out a frightened gasp.

"It's... It's... Oni-Nadoka! YAAAAAH!" Happosai ran in circles, memory's of the violent girl reflected in his mind before a frying pan landed on the old man.

"Thank you for the frying Pan, Kasumi. Don't call me that, Old pervert," Nodoka glared fire at Happosai, as the old man sweated under her gaze. She handed the frying pan back to Kasumi, who looked between Nodoka and the frying pan with a confused look.

"When did you get here?" Happosai asked in a somewhat level tone. He had made sure he was gone every other time she was visiting, not wanting to confront her when he didn't have to.

"Master? Since when do Women frighten you?" Soun asked, completely confused at Happosai's reaction. Nabiki was quite intrigued by these new events.

Happosai leaped about and backed away from Nodoka, whispering in Soun's ear and casting a frightened glance at Nadoka.

"What? She locked you where? She didn't... full of them?! You must have gone insane!" Soun looked at Nodoka with a new found respect, and Happosai's shifty gaze found no Ranma-chan or Akane to latch onto.

"That's right... in the Victoria Secrets warehouse! I-I-I was so worked up, I almost lost my mind! So many... everywhere! Not enough time to caress them all! Not enough time! NOT ENOUGH TIME! BWAHAHAHAHAH! *Thwonk!*" Nodoka brained Happosai with her plate, then checked it for cracks.

"I'm going shopping Kasumi, I'll be home in several hours. I would warn the letch, it might give him some time to think about his actions. Oh, and tell him to stay away from my Daughter while I'm visiting. I don't need her traumatized," Nodoka stood and left the table.

"That woman's got guts!" Soun said with a proud air about his voice. "Yessir, I would _never_ have thought of doing that to Master Happosai!" Soun ate his meal heartily.


	10. Heirbourne Melodies

A woman in blue robes leaped from roof to roof, her long hair shimmered as it cascaded out behind her.

Her flashing gaze took in the new world of Tokyo as she paused on a telephone pole. Her glimmering blue eyes seemed locked on nothing in particular, but at the same time they seemed to take in everything.

"Ahhh, Japan. Such wonderful land, so full of water... and thrum of chaos is strong in outskirt of city. I wonder how Seal came to be there?" The blue-eyed girls hair brushed her ankles, and her robes seemed to flutter in a ghostly wind.

The girl recalled when she had been imprisoned, such a small piece of her taken from her body and used to enchant the water in the Chiisuiton. So many of her Kin had suffered a similar fate over the millenia... being diced bit by bit by would-be sorcerers and enchanters.

She had suffered better, until Jusenkyo. Her eyes began to glow with a fierce blue luminescence as she recalled. Jusenkyo... every pool there created by a rock falling from the stars and melting. Then, the strange water was enchanted by- by-

What could she call him? Yang? Asmodeus? Bal? Fenrir? He was darkness. The father of the Darklings, the keeper of the Shadows, the Destroyer of Hope?

There was a fitting name, but she would not call him by that. It was not his fault she had been imprisoned in the Chiisuiton, he had only had a part in weakening her. The person at fault was- was-

"Pah Fuum," The blue haired girl clenched her teeth as she recalled the Joketsuzoku Princess, the girl's blue hair had mocked her when they first met, fooled her into dropping her guard. Hair so much like her own.

"Pah Fuum, Aquarius shall have Revenge!" The girl leaped off the pole and into the back yard of where she had started collecting her strength. She had read the sign at the front entrance when she had escaped, and knew this to be the "Tendo Dojo."

She blinked in confusion when a young man stepped out of the house and stared at her in like-wise befuddlement.

"Uh, hi?" Hiroshi muttered, unsure of what to say to the beautiful young girl before him.

"Who you? I want speak !" The blue-robed girl put her fists up before her in an offensive stance. Hiroshi looked at her with a bit of amusement at her muddled sentence, and then dropped his grin.

He stared at her eyes, such innocence and peace he had never witnessed before. It was like watching the ocean while the sun set, and hearing the waves crash upon the shore... driving away all fears and pushing the problems of the world back with the tide.

The girl paused a moment when she realized the boy was seeing her true nature, and the wind began to blow across his features as he took a step toward her.

She was frozen, intrigued at the odd display of peace that was suddenly falling over her. She heard her Brother's song begin to play, not the semi ethereal tune that the wind usually brought, but a very real, and very vivid song of sadness.

The thrum of the earth seemed to course with the beat of the boy's footsteps and began a brilliant stoccoto as he drew closer. Even the tree's seemed to blow in succesion to his movements.

"Who- Who are you?" The girl asked, taking a cautious step back. Her words broke the spell, and Hiroshi paused.

His answer was simple, yet ever more complex than just his innocent words. Hiroshi shrugged and looked her in the eyes, "I am Hiroshi,"

"Hiroshi," She whispered to herself, memorizing the name.

"Am I not to know yours? 'Names are a thing to be traded, not taken', so how about it?" Hiroshi reached out to clap his hand on her shoulder, and found a barrier barring his way.

"I- I- I- Th- they call me- You may... my name is Aquarius," Hiroshi smiled at the name, realizing what had called to his soul so powerfully. She was one of the elements he talked to... listened to. Hiroshi had long ago learned Nature held some of the best listeners in the world.

"Ohiyo Gozuymasu, Aquarius-Chan," A sudden nerve set off Hiroshi and his calm demeanor disappeared.

Aquarius snapped out of her stupor, and fixed the boy with a glare, "Where is Princess of Joketsuzoku?! I know, or you suffer!" She would not be delayed, and not by a mere mortal boy.

Hiroshi felt suddenly uneasy, which he was not used to. He splayed his hand to the sky and spoke, "We all suffer sometime; it is a cycle that must be repeated through life. Happiness, suffering, laughter, sorrow, all must be endured-" He was cut off abruptly by Aquarius with a harsh tone of voice.

"Stop! I not need hear words of wisdom which I know already!!! Where they at?! WHO they?" Aquarius glowed with a soft but brilliant light, and she was slowly being surrounded by a pool of seemingly calm water.

Hiroshi blinked... if he didn't know better, he could have swore that Aquarius was angry. "But-" Hiroshi began, trying to fathom why she wanted to speak with Shampoo before he was cut off once again.

"FINE! You chose fate, I judge you now! SUFFER!" Aquarius brought her hands together in front of her, and the calm water shot to life in dozens of whip-like tendrils, lashing and wrapping around Hiroshi's body.

"RA-urk!" Hiroshi began to yell, but a tendril wrapped around his throat, cutting off his cry for help. Aquarius's eyes flashed anger, but quickly softened as a familiar voice told her this was not right.

"You not one I want, you sleep and forget now!" Aquarius threw her hands apart, and Hiroshi dropped to the ground as the water-like tendrils changed into a blue mist.

Aquarius looked around to make sure she hadn't been seen by anyone else, and with a flourish of her robe was gone.

Hiroshi drifted into an uneasy sleep, fixing it in his mind that Shampoo was in trouble... and that he had to remember at least that much.


	11. The Rare, Warbling Twit

Ranma walked along the sidewalk, staring up at the fence she was so used to running on. Akane stared at the opposite side of the road, not entirely over her anger over Ranma's comment that morning.

Ranma felt like she could cut the tension with a knife, and her own nervousness about being stuck a girl for the moment was quietly eroding that fierce bravado he usually held tightly to these situations. Finally, Ranma spoke up.

"Hey, I'm sorry Akane. It's jus' that when you get nice and all I have this urge to say something... and my mouth usually thinks before my brain," Ranma looked up at the sky, not wanting to see if Akane was listening or not, and more than a little afraid of a mallet appearing.

Akane, on the other hand, was more frustrated than angry. Ranma's cooking _had_ been good that morning, and she would have loved to eat it. Ranma, however, had to say something _completely_ inappropriate and get her worked up. She hadn't been able to finish all of breakfast, as she and Ranma were already a bit late in getting out of the house. Akane knew Ranma had trouble controlling his words, but no matter how much she reminded herself, she _still_ got angry when he made comments about her looks or her cooking.

"I mean, I've been trying to watch my mouth lately, but I guess it hasn't been working. Maybe I should just shutup from now on so that I don't make more trouble," Ranma looked down at the ground, and Akane looked over at Ranma, a small smirk on her face.

Akane was about to say something snide, but she saw the look of utter embarrassment on Ranma's face as she picked at her blue dress. Akane felt the twinge of jealousy when she saw how beautiful Ranma was again. *Geez, a little make-up, a dress and Ranma looks even better than Shampoo...* Akane patted Ranma on the back, forgetting her anger for a moment.

"Sorry, Ranma. I think this whole 'female' thing is silly for your Mom to do. It's just nonsense," Ranma grabbed Akane's hand and took a step away, stopping for a moment.

A stern look was on her face as she glared at Akane for a moment. "Stop it. Not you, Akane, don't you start treatin' me like I'm a girl. I don't need cheering up, I can handle this. 'S not a problem. Besides, I promised Mom this morning I'd do this... I don't like it, but I'll do it Akane... just don't start treating me like a girl... I'm a... I'm a..." Ranma's face contorted in frustration, and she dropped Akane's hand.

Akane defied Ranma and put her hand on the girl's back. "Why can't you say it, Ranma? What's wrong?" Akane was now genuinely worried.

"Nothin' Akane... just... it's nothing... I can't tell. Not you, not ever you," Ranma looked at Akane with anguish in her eyes. Then it disappeared as the self-assured glimmer returned to Ranma's eyes.

Akane flinched inwardly, both from Ranma's words and that the girl had actually showed her some emotion other than pride, arrogance, and the usual care-free Ranma she was used to. Could there be much more to Ranma than she ever realized?

Ranma and Akane walked on in silence, the first day since Ranma came that the walk hadn't ended in an argument.

Ranma and Akane froze when they saw the familiar Kendoist standing at the front doors.

"Ahh, if it is not Tendo Akane and the ever-beauteous Saotome Ranma," Kuno held his bokken in a salute to the two girls.

"Kuno, what're you doing here? Don't you remember, I'm a-" Ranma was quickly cut off by Kuno.

"Yes, and after much thought I have deduced the _true_ meaning of both thine words, and fair Akane's. Do not worry, my love, I will purge you from the sorcerous soul that plagues your body. The evil male-side will not endure the wrath of the Blue Thunder!" Lightning crashed behind Kuno, illuminating his face.

"What?! No, that's not what I said at all! I told you Kuno, Ranma _is_ a-" Akane was similarly interrupted by Kuno.

"Yes, Ranma is a victim of foul sorcery, begotten by dark gods themselves so that she would be plagued to change into one of their demon minions of the Black Arts! And it is this that keeps her honor bound to shunt the advances of men, for she could not bear to cause men such grievance with a curse such as hers," Kuno swung his bokken to the side and banged his fist on his chest.

"It is I, Kuno Tatewake that will fight this demon to free fair Ranma of this dismal curse!!! When I succeed, the dark gods will _know_ that to defy Kuno is to defy the very rights of heaven, and in so bring the Kami's wrath upon their heads!" Kuno laughed at the sky.

Ranma beat her head on the walls of Furenkin, and Akane's eyes twitched from her indecision to either beat Kuno repeatedly, or let Ranma mangle the man into a corpse.

"Well, seeing as how the demon has retreated to the recesses of Ranma's body in fear of the Great Kuno, I will instead accompany you both to class as I have made you both dreadfully late with my honored oath," Kuno bowed slightly, and stepped into the school.

Ranma began following, murderous intentions in her eyes.

"I'm gonna kill him, there won't be enough left for Nabiki to pawn as souvenirs..." Akane stopped Ranma with a hand. Ranma looked in confusion and outrage at Akane, before she saw the familiar glint of fire in her ex fiancee's eyes.

"I get first dibs," Akane said with a sadistic grin plastered carelessy across her face.

The echo's of Kuno's pained screams were heard throughout Furenkin as both girls worked together to put Kuno _back_ in that body-cast.


	12. Schoolside Clash

Ranma sat idly in class, as Mr. Muroto droned on. She looked over at Daisuke, who was fiddling with some type of device he had brought to school.

Ranma looked around the room with a glare, spotting several men looking at her.

"Hey Ranma, you look pretty good in a dress... want my phone-number?" Ranma leaned away from the student who was looking at her chest, not her face, as he spoke. A brick connected with the boys head and he fell over.

Mr. Muroto paused in his lecture and looked at the unconcious student on the ground.

Ranma looked at Daisuke, who didn't even seem as if he had made a move. Ranma knew Daisuke, though. Bricks were his trademark, they just seemed to appear in his hand... which reminded Ranma of a certain Hammer.

The bell rang, and Ranma groaned. She had to go to P.E., which would not be fun... with everything she was wearing, she knew she couldn't go into the boys locker room. *Chalk up another embarrassment from a Saotome promise,* Ranma grabbed her books and walked out the classroom door.

"Hey! Ranma! Wait up, bud!" Daisuke yelled, everyone looked at Daisuke and Ranma, and Ranma felt an uncomfortable silence spread over the hallway.

Ranma couldn't understand... not even _after_ everyone had found out about the curse did they treat her this badly. She felt like a bug from some of the looks people were giving her.

"Yeah, Dai?" Ranma said, trying to ignore the looks.

"Well, you know that water has been mysteriously vanishing in large quantities for the past 36 hours, right? Well... actually it's 35 hours, 47 minutes, 13 seconds-"

"DAI! Yes, I know, get on with it," Ranma tapped her foot and put one hand on her hip, the other hand held her books at her side.

"Uhm," Dai began, noticing the odd stance Ranma had decided upon, "Yes, well, as I was saying... I was at home, working on my Chaometer when this _huge_ blip started going back and forth over Nerima... here, take a look-see yourself, this electronic-notebook is patched right into the system," Daisuke thrust the notebook out at Ranma, and she took it after a moments hesitation.

"Chaowhatsathingy?" Ranma looked at the huge distorted blip flashing on the screen.

"It's a Chaometer, it measures levels of chaotic energy-sigs. I came up with the idea when I found out about your curse, I've been fine-tuning it ever since," Daisuke smirked, "You would be surprised how many people have a high energy-sig, and not _just_ Jusenkyo victims!"

"Wait, you mean this thingy can actually _track_ weird beings and Jusenkyo curses?" Ranma looked incredulous, which made her look cute.

"Yeah, and that thingy there is a _very_ erratic, and unfamiliar sig for these parts!" Daisuke folded his arms across his chest in a 'as-a-matter-of fact' pose.

"You mean this thing could track Ryouga?" Another thought passed Ranma's mind as she said those words, "Waitasec, this say's it's somewhere near Ucchan's classroom!" Ranma looked at the thing, a question playing in her head.

"Is this thing dangerous?" Ranma asked, a bit worried about her friend and the implications this odd discovery could mean.

"Well, by the oddly unstable fluctuations in it's pattern, as well as the random consumption of energy and how it seems to be emitting it..." Daisuke looked at the E-notebook, then back up at Ranma.

"It's a possibility," Daisuke caught his E-notebook as Ranma disappeared in a cloud of Smoke.

* * * * * *

Aquarius floated down the hallway, her blue hair streaming out behind her in a shimmering cascade of beauty. Her heart burned as she sensed a being who knew where her quarry was.

She slowly lowered herself down in front of the door and flung it open. All the students, as well as Akane and Ukyou looked up to see a beautiful girl surrounded by a fierce blue aura of a thousand shades.

"WHERE IS PRINCESS OF JOKETSUZOKU!?!?" Aquarius yelled. Hinako looked over at the girl, then put her hands on her hips.

"Well, there's no need to yell young lady. Besides, you are late... whoever you are. Take a seat!" Hinako pointed at an empty seat.

"I not here to learn, I here seek Princess of-"

"That's nice, TAKE A SEAT!!! NOW!!!" Hinako pulled out a coin and pointed it at Aquarius.

"You offer me? I no want coin, I want betrayer! I destroy!!!" Aquarius's chi glowed brightly as a shield of water began forming around the girl.

"HAPPO-FIVE-YEN-SATSU!!!" Hinako yelled, the beam hit the shield, crackled, and then returned twice as powerful as before.

Hinako yelled as she felt her own chi sucked out of her and given to the being of Water.

"I not seen that technique use for hundred of years... no matter. It not harm me a bit... and thank you for energy! AGH!" Someone kicked her in the back, sending her sprawling to the ground in Hinako's room.

"You sound a little cocky, let me soft'n you up a bit!" Ranma stood in a battle stance, her fists ready for a fight. She looked slightly silly in the school dress.

"Is that Ranma?"

"Yeah, she looks great in a dress!"

"Shutup you! You already have a girlfriend!"

"Yeah! Kick her butt Ranma!"

"Bets, please?" Nabiki started collecting money.

"NABIKI!?!? Are you crazy?! I can't fight in here, people would get Oof!" Ranma was drenched with cold water as Aquarius began floating again, her shield restored.

"I commend, you startle me... but not again. Now you suffer wrath! KIYAAA!" Aquarius lunged at Ranma, a blue sword in her hand glowing softly. Her movements fluid and natural.

Ranma dodged with ease, and the sword-hilt whacked into the side of her head.

"OW!" Ranma jumped back out into the hallway. "You can't FIGHT me here! If you wanna fight me, fight outside!" Ranma looked around at the innocent bystanders gathering to watch the fight.

"Why I care? They only humans. You only human... you all deceive, betray, capture, enslave! None of you different!" Aquarius thrust with her sword, Ranma dodged again, taking a step back. It continued like this, Ranma backing away with each thrust as Aquarius lunged over and over again, each thrust becoming more and more rapid with the blue-haired girl's frustration.

"Why you not fight?! You weak?! You AFRAID?!" Aquarius taunted the girl before her, seeing a glimmer of fire pass when fear was mentioned.

"No, I'm not afraid of nothin', I just don't fight girls!" Ranma stopped as Aquarius paused in her attack.

She began laughing. "You sound just like inferior man, what waste of true beauty of the art!" Ranma turned positively red at the comment. "But, man could likely fight better," Ranma turned even redder as his anger began to build. "Then again, you no man!"

Snap. Ranma burst into a flurry of movement, beginning with a Tenshin Amaguriken, followed with a blur of kicks and sweeps, mixed with dragon punches and ending with a Mouko Takabisha.

Aquarius was visually stunned as several attacks actually connected, flying _through_ her water-barrier. Then a strong blast completely obliterated her shield.

"How you... wait..." Aquarius looked at the aura, sensing a familiar presence she began to scan, dodging the attacks in the process. There it was, the taint of Jusenkyo.

Aquarius smiled, "You no man! I show," Aquarius began to glow, and Ranma paused as the goddess's words reached her.

"YOU A GIRL!!!" Aquarius yelled, sensing her prey's fear she began to charge the mystic energy's within her.

An image flashed in Ranma's mind of the Chiisuiton, and her mind froze. When it regained he saw a strange energy building between the girl's hands, and she ran with all her might.

* * * * * *

Ranma stopped, her chest heaving as she realized she was nowhere even near the school.

She had run, the disgrace fell upon her heart. She had run, because of a threat which she wasn't even sure had been what she thought it was.

Her hair dripped, reminding her how soaked she was. Where was she? She looked around. She was somewhere near the Dojo if she didn't miss her guess.

*Who was that girl? Somethin' about water...* Ranma dwelled on it as she leaned against the stone wall. She thought about the day, and picked at her dress. Several men had asked her out, an emphatic punch was her answer... as well as a deep blush.

Ranma was beginning to understand how Akane felt. She even had to turn down some of her friends, as well as some of the shy people who hadn't spoken a word to her or her male half all year... she couldn't punch _them_, so she let them down softly. The disappointment had been depressing.

Then there was the fact that those people not trying to ask her out were treating her like some kind of hideous monster, as if her wearing a dress and make-up had somehow changed her into a sicko of immense proportion.

That was the embarrasing thing, though, she had _promised_ to wear the dress. People either saw her as a girl, or saw her as a man trying his best to be a girl... which disgusted them.

Even the teachers treated her differently, gave her extra time on assignments that were due that day, as well as suggested home-ec and relationship classes... relationship classes!

*One day, and everyone's thinkin you're someone else, sheesh.* Hinako hadn't changed however. She could care less what Ranma wore or what form she was in, she still found excuses to 'Discipline' Her at any chance she got.

*Well, at least Akane hasn't started actin' funny... well, not more so than usual I guess.* Ranma took comfort in the fact that Akane hadn't started seeing her as a girl. It made her feel... It made her feel more comfortable.

Ranma thought about the fight that had been initiated minutes before, and wondered who the odd girl was and if she was responsible for the water disappearing... it seemed reasonable seeing as how she was using water based attacks.

*Nuts, I'm not gonna let some girl beat me. I guess I'll have to go find her and resume our battle...* Ranma thought about it, and groaned. Unfortunately, She _had_ to go back to the school and attend the rest of her classes. For one, her Mother thought that education was just as important as Martial Arts, and for two, Ranma had an absence problem in several of his evening classes... usually because weird competitors showed up in the evening and challenged him/her to a duel. Well, that and Ryouga was still appearing randomly to smash Ranma or attack him/her.

Ranma began jogging back to school, reluctant to continue the day.


	13. Dresses, Locker Rooms and Pigheadedness

Ranma walked into the locker-room with a blush on her face. She strode to her temporary locker and ignored the rest of the girls, avoiding the naked status of the people around him.

Ranma felt very nervous as she pulled at her wet blouse, she opened her locker and tugged it over her head quickly stuffing it in the locker.

"Ranma! Ranma!" A girl waved her hand in front of Ranma's face and Ranma blinked, her reflexes made her look up at who was speaking.

Sayuri stood there with a smile, wearing only a lace bra and panties. Ranma blushed furiously.

"Hey, what was with you back there? I mean, we all heard the commotion and came to see what was going on. Why did you run away?" Ranma stared at Sayuri, only half hearing the words as she concentrated on ignoring Sayuri's body.

"Well- it's just that... I was- she was- I can't say. It just popped into my head to run, I had a feeling something bad was about to happen," Ranma looked down at the ground, washing herself in her own shame.

Sayuri blinked at Ranma's stuttering, then blushed when she remembered Ranma was a guy, then frowned at the depression Ranma seemed to fall into.

"Ranma, what's wrong? Akane said something was bothering you-"

"NOTHIN' IS BOTHERING ME!!! At least nothin' I can tell you girl's. Or my friends for that matter," Ranma looked over at Sayuri with a crushed look.

"Something is wrong, Ranma. I might not know you well enough to understand, but I know there is. You shouldn't hold it in like that, it's bad. You don't have to tell me, but promise me you'll tell someone, Okay?" Sayuri finished and began putting her gym clothes on.

"I- I promise, Sayuri. Thanks for being concerned," Ranma took the rest of her school dress off and stuffed it in the locker, then dug around in her bag till she found the _female_ gym clothes.

"No problem, I hate seeing a gir- I mean I hate seeing anyone so down in the dumps, by the way, nice bra," Sayuri slammed her locker shut and left a furiously blushing Ranma behind.

*Geez, first everyone starts actin' weird, and now Akane's friends are telling me how nice my bra is. How embarrassing.* Ranma had put the gym shorts on, but paused with the shirt as she looked down at the black sports bra her Mother had bought.

There was a perverse pride that Ranma had in the fact that her shape as a female was likely the most attractive girl in school, as well as the exotic mane of red-hair she had obviously inherited from her Mother by the way Nodoka had been speaking this morning.

Ranma sighed, and tugged the shirt over her head. She had to admit, she _did_ have better proportion when it came to bust-line and hip-width. Ranma realized the odd stray thought and banged her head into the locker.

Everything became fuzzy and her head hurt a bit, but she wasn't having any more _perverted_ ideas. She left her locker with a very perceptible dent in it and walked out to begin gym.

The girls were lined up and waiting for Ranma, it seemed. As soon as Ranma found her place in the line, they all began jogging. "1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4 1-2-3-4," the girls chanted as they did their laps around the school.

Ranma felt like running faster, but knew that keeping the pace was important to the rest of the group... and Ranma didn't want to disrupt gym.

"RANMAAAAAA!" The girls paused in their jog as a figure silouhetted the sun and began to fall, directly towards the new "Girl".

The group of girls scattered as Ryouga Hibiki landed in front of Ranma. Ranma gave Ryouga a flat look, "What is it _this_ time, P-chan?"

"Shutup! Don't call me that Ranma! We still haven't finished our fight about that- that- THIS!" Ryouga pointed to his Blue-Hair. Ranma smirked slightly. Ryouga blinked as his anger vanished...

"Ranma?" Ryouga scratched his head, looking at the odd girl before him; it didn't look anything like Ranma.

"Sorry, I guess I made a mistake, Sorry," Ryouga bowed with a blush and turned to leave.

"WHAT-THE-HELL-ARE-YOU-TALKING-ABOUT?!" Ranma had snatched Ryouga's shirt before he had finished turning his back to her.

"It's just that I'm embarrassed that I could mistake such a beautiful girl for my erstwhile rival, Ranma Saotome," Ryouga looked closely again at the girl, seeing something familiar in her anger.

Ranma's eye twitched as Ryouga's words got to her head. She couldn't understand, never could understand what Kuno, and now Ryouga, had meant when they had said she was beautiful. Her fury began to burn. "I AM NOT BEAUTIFUL!!! I'M NOT A GIRL!!!" Ranma yelled at Ryouga's face.

Ryouga blinked, then looked at the girl again. She _sounded_ like Ranma, but the hair was styled in a very feminine fashion, this girl wore makeup which enhance her looks by far, and that smell...?

"I'm sorry for offending you, whoever you are. You have a very nice perfume, though," Ryouga scratched his head, something _nagging_ at him about the girl.

Ranma flinched at the comment, then took her hands from Ryouga. "Ryouga. I-Am-Ranma. Now are we gonna fight, or NOT?!?!" Ranma was frustrated, and upset that even Ryouga was acting like she was a girl. Her voice cracked at the end as she tried in vain to control it.

"Oh, so now Ranma's hired girls to try and trick me?! He'll pay dearly for that!!! He knows that he can't fool me with any more costumes so now he resorts to bribery and exploitation of girls!" Ryouga's aura began glowing.

"..." Ranma paused, depression washing over her. "Fine. I'm sorry, Ryouga. For teasing you all those times. Now if you'll excuse me," Ranma walked away from Ryouga, back to the scattered girls who had been watching all along. They began walking away, trying to pick up the pace where they had left off.

Sayuri patted Ranma on the back and tried to make an effort of cheering the sad girl up, "It's not that bad Ranma, it's not Ryouga's fault, you just look _so_ different as a girl. Some of the girls were wondering why you didn't do this before..." Sayuri stopped in her talk, realizing that had Ranma done it of her _own_ free will, the girls would have likely branded him pervert.

"Thanks for the encouragement Sayuri, but I'll deal with this myself. Besides, Ryouga will be back in five, four, three, two, one..." Ranma heard a whooshing sound as Ryouga appeared in front of her again.

"Ranma?" Ryouga looked confused.

"Yeah. It's me, ya Pig," Ranma said without her usual vigor for insulting Ryouga.

Ryouga turned red, and he began to shake. "And to think! You almost tricked me again!"

Ranma dropped into a battle ready stance as the girl's scattered once more and Ryouga began to get more and more angry.

"Well, Ranma. Maybe you _like_ being a girl, and dressing pretty and wearing make-up-" Ranma interrupted Ryouga's tirade.

"Shutup, Ryouga. That's the only time I'm gonna say it, I promised my Mom-" Ranma was cut off by Ryouga, making the two even in that respect.

"Oh, so now you're Momma's li'l girl, Huh? Why, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you _liked_ being a girl!!!" Ryouga jumped back as Ranma began to attack, a flurry of punches connecting with the air where Ryouga had stood.

"Getting slow, Ranma. You're even starting to fight like a girl!" Ryouga dodged Ranma's furious attacks, this time closer than before.

"My, maybe you should practice with Akane, or give up Martial Arts altogether and let Kasumi teach you how to be a happy homemaker!" Ryouga didn't have time to dodge as Ranma began pummeling the Lost-Boy with a ferocious intensity Ryouga had never seen before. Ryouga actually began shielding himself from the blows he couldn't block, and he couldn't seem to get up on the offensive anymore.

Ranma's anger seemed to grow more and more with each punch, she knew she was hurting Ryouga and she liked it. It made her feel powerful, it made her feel like more of a man, She didn't care that Ryouga was bleeding from the force and speed of her fists, he should never have called her a woman, never have made fun of her... he would pay-

"RANMA!" Akane yelled for the fifth time, and slapped Ranma hard across the face. Ranma's mind went blank as her anger ebbed away from her. She looked at Akane, then down at Ryouga.

Ryouga Hibiki cringed, several tears flowing from his eyes as he huddled in a ball, various bruises of dark colors mottled his body. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean it..." Ryouga mumbled over and over again. He had been mumbling for the past minute and a half.

"I-" Ranma began, "I-" the words would not come, "..." Ranma stood and walked away from Ryouga, shame again washing over her. She had lost her composure, a martial artist must first and foremost keep a level head above all other things.

The words had bit and tore at Ranma, even though she knew Ryouga hadn't meant them.

She walked back to the locker room and sat in front of her dented locker. Her eyes were clamped shut as she fought back hot tears.

"Ranma?" Akane's voice hurt Ranma's ears. "Ranma? Are you all-right?" Akane sounded worried, but Ranma had learned that when it came to Akane, nothing was sure.

Akane looked over at Ranma, noticing signs she usually marked for Ryouga. The slumped shoulders, the odd loss of light in the eyes, the air of sadness.

Akane sat down next to her once-fiancee.

"Go away Akane... I'm dangerous," Ranma looked down at the ground as she spoke.

"Ranma, no matter what, I know you would never hurt me," Akane stated it as if it were fact. Strangely, she felt it was the truth.

"I can't do this. I can't do this every other day. Not with Ryouga and the other guys- not with everyone looking at me like _this_" Ranma motioned down at her gym outfit, "Was my idea."

Akane looked at Ranma, and noticed the truth in Hiromi's words. Her friend had told her how Ryouga hadn't recognized Ranma, and had taken him for a girl. Ranma looked nothing like a man, she even _smelled_ different, as Akane noticed the feminine perfume Nodoka had bought for 'Ranko'.

"I'll help, Ranma. I care enough to do that," Akane was worried that this would destroy Ranma. _He_ just couldn't handle this, he had never been able to handle this. And now, Ranma's Mother was forcing _him_ to be _her_.

"You don't know how hard it is, Akane. This scares me, the curse, and everything that goes with it! It _scares_ me, Akane!" Ranma had never been this open to her before. Obviously the Curse bothered her more than she liked to admit.

"You know when we were swimmin' yesterday? Well, that scares the hell outta me too. But I go because I have to show you guys I'm not afraid, and I have to face my fears," Ranma looked at Akane.

"Hey, Akane? Ranma?" Sayuri came around the corner and looked in on her friend and Ranma. "Hey, are you okay? I mean, earlier today, and then this Ryouga thing..."

"I'm fine, Sayuri. Don't worry, I'll keep my promise too. I jus' need some help to get through these first few days. Ya'know, adjust," Ranma looked over at Akane with a forced smile.

"Hey, if it'll help I'll do anything I can. I'm sure Hiromi and the rest of the gang would like to help as well... we've noticed some of the people around school given you the 'evil-eye' and making comments behind your back,"

Akane gawked at her friend, "They WHAT?! Why didn't you tell me?!" Akane sounded furious.

"Because you'd get angry Akane. Besides, we took care of the people we heard about with some help from your sister," Sayuri smiled when she thought about Nabiki. She had never realized the girl had a use until today.

"Uh, Thanks. Next time tell me, though," Akane looked back at Ranma. "Care to finish the day? If you do, I'll let you order some Ramen tonight."

"Are you cooking?" Ranma asked nonchalantly.

Akane glowered, "Yes, what does that have to do with anything?!"

Ranma looked up at the ceiling, "Oh, nothing. I was just wondering if I was going to take you up on your offer for _real_ food."

"RANMA!" Ranma laughed and ran out of the Gym, finishing her laps in record time as Akane chased after Ranma with her Mallet.

* * * * * *

Ryouga walked away from the school not sure of where he was going. He poked and prodded the painful wounds Ranma had inflicted on him. *The look on his face, like he didn't care if he went too far.* It had disturbed Ryouga, that he could push his rival off the deep end.

His jibes had never been taken seriously before, and he had taken Ranma's insults as best he could.

But something was different today. Something that had caused Ryouga much alarm as Ranma's fists pounded him over and over again, Ryouga trying vainly to block the blurring chestnut fists that broke easily through his pathetic defense.

Ryouga had known that Ranma was better, that Ranma could defeat him any time if he wanted to, but Ryouga had never realized how much the Curse meant to Ranma. Ryouga growled when he thought about it.

*He's tormenting himself for turning into a _girl_?! It isn't half as bad as turning into a pig!!!* Ryouga's face softened as he kept walking.

*But- but I really don't know, do I? I don't know what it's like to be Ranma.* Ryouga realized that maybe his insults caused Ranma a lot more hurt than he realized. Maybe there was some small thing Ryouga had missed when he had learned of Ranma's curse, something he had missed in the long run of their rocky friendship.

*Friendship? Is that what this is?* Ryouga had admitted that they had once been friends, but since then many things had changed. Some of them not for the better. Ryouga had to admit... he did care slightly about Ranma. They could have been much closer had it not been for a certain Tendo daughter.

Then again, Ryouga realized that that wasn't Ranma's fault either. It had been his foolish bear of a father that had engaged him to Akane.

*Akane...* Ryouga felt himself wash in depression again, drowning in his dismal pit of despair. Why was it always Ranma? Ranma, in his opinion, got the better Curse. Ranma got the girl he loved. Ranma was better at fighting than he was. Ranma had so many friends... and what people could he count among friends? Akari probably was more than a friend... but Ryouga couldn't betray Akane like that. Akane? She was a friend, but would not be if she ever found out about Ryouga.

Ryouga inwardly twitched at the thought. He was living a lie. A lie propagated by himself and maintained by himself. He could tell her, but that would hurt her, and Ryouga could never hurt Akane. Not if the stars told him to, not if the Kami forced him. He would never raise a hand to hurt the girl.

*Ranma, why do you have to be so happy? Then, today... I felt guilty for wanting you to suffer as I have. You can't take it like a Hibiki. If you were in my place, you would have ended this tragedy long ago. This tragedy that is my life. Forever unwanted, forever lost, forever alone...* Ryouga felt the dark well inside him overflow and begin to take him over. Ryouga held in the tears, knowing that if they came, he would not be able to stop them.

"Nihao, Ryouga!" A shrill chinese voice sounded. "What you doing in Nekohanten? You hungry?"

Ryouga blinked and looked around. Sure enough, he had wandered into the Cat Cafe. Ryouga noted that he hadn't eaten since- well since that morning. He felt a bit famished now that he thought about it.

"Hibiki, you've gotten lost again haven't you?" Mousse asked as he wiped down the counter. The chinese boy looked up at Ryouga with calm blue eyes.

"Is Mousse right? Hiya, you need learn how find way in world! If want, we give discount for senseless traveler?" Shampoo smiled when Ryouga turned a furious shade of red.

"What do you say, Hibiki, care for some food?" Mousse had taken out a notepad and pen, he idly watched Ryouga as the Lost-Boy sat down.

"Uh- some Curry... and rice. Not too hungry right now," Ryouga looked around, noting that not a lot of people were in the restaurant at the moment.

Shampoo smiled down at him as she wiped the tabletop down. She paused when she looked at Ryouga closer. "Hiya. What happen, Ryouga? You get hit by truck?" Shampoo saw the bruises covering Ryouga's hard arms, and noticed some tears in his clothing.

"No. I guess I took some insults a bit too far. It's nothing, they'll be gone by tomorrow," Ryouga self-conciously put his arms under the table.

"Ranma do that?" Shampoo asked, a bit alarmed at Ryouga's injuries.

"Yes. I kept insulting him about his- his manhood. He's wearing a dress today, and has his hair down. Then there's the perfume and the makeup " Shampoo cut Ryouga off before Ryouga started to babble.

"Why Ranma wear woman clothing, if he go as man?" Shampoo looked oddly at Ryouga, she wondered if she had understood correctly.

"That's just it, he _didn't_ go to school as a man. I almost mistook him for an attractive girl," Ryouga shook his head and stared at the table. He still felt angry at being duped so easily... but not on purpose this time.

"Ranma-Chan _is_ attractive girl, sometime I jealous of ex-husband for that. I wonder why Ranma dress as woman?" Shampoo puzzled about that, when a shout was heard from the kitchen.

"Heads up!" Mousse tossed the curry and rice at his new Wife, who caught it effortlessy... it had been a bit off target.

"Silly Husband need learn aim better!" Mousse blushed at his wife's comment, then nodded.

"Here, Ryouga. You enjoy!" Shampoo smiled and began to leave.

Ryouga's thoughts lept to a question that had been bugging him for a week, "Hey Shampoo!" The Amazon paused and walked back to Ryouga.

"Yes?" Shampoo looked a bit angry that Ryouga had called her name out loud.

"I was just- I mean- well, I was wondering where Cologne might be," Ryouga looked down at his food when Shampoo initially scowled at him.

Shampoo's face softened a bit, "I not know where Great-Grandmother go. I wonder too...,"

Shampoo left on that note, and Ryouga began to eat... pondering where the old Amazon could have gone to.


	14. Dragon on the Mountain

Cologne sat for a moment to catch her breath. The old Amazon leader had been climbing for the past few days. She cursed herself for her spark of brash thought.

*Why couldn't you let it be? Why couldn't you see that Shampoo loved Mousse?* Cologne thought on that. *Because I couldn't allow it. Mousse is not worthy of the tribe. That should have been enough. But it wasn't... not for Shampoo.*

Cologne had thought she had won. Had thought that the time for triumph was at hand. She would have Ranma, and train him for the dark days to come.

It didn't work. She had seen that Shampoo was beginning to care for the half-blind Amazon boy, and had panicked. She had made herself cold and uncaring, as she hid her fear from her great-granddaughter.

It had driven her away, her act of solitude and indifference to feelings. She had never liked using that, and now it had led her to this.

*Break the seal, and trouble soon follows.* Had been her Mother's words, and her grandmother's words, and _Her_ mother's words, all the way back the Amazon line to Pah Fuum.

Cologne looked at her weathered hands. *Three hundred years of preperation for Son-In-Law, and I destroy the work in a single instance of blind rage. Ranma, I trust you to be strong for the ordeal you must endure. Mousse... if anything happens to Shampoo you will pay dearly.*

Cologne looked up and out over the pools of Jusenkyou, then to her right at the Irrepressible Mount Phoenix. Where Saffron once resided.

Cologne had never believed any of the legends, of Jusenkyou, of Saffron, Toma, or Kiirin. Everything had been proven true as Ranma's chaotic Chi forced the balance of the supernatural to look towards Nerima. Cologne had been in silent awe of the things that revolved around the boy. Every time it looked bad, every time hope was lost, every time there was no way out... Ranma emerged unscathed.

Cologne scowled as she began climbing again. *Damn Ranma. the Stars must have been in a cruel joking mood to have made my daughter cross paths with such a boy.*

Cologne thought about where she was, seeking out another legend, another Myth on Mount Shimitsu. *If Saffron couldn't defeat Ranma, then perhaps the Son of a Dragon can.* Cologne climbed in silence for several more hours, pausing again as the light of the sun kissed the horizon.

Cologne had recalled the first time she had met Ranma, and the arrogant self-assuredness that he displayed so freely. Even when she used the Full Body Cat-Tongue he was still confident that he would defeat Cologne eventually and retrieve the Phoenix Pill.

The only time Cologne had ever seen Ranma completely without hope was one instant after the Chiisuiton, Herb and his Damn Chiisuiton.

Ranma had almost, _Almost_ resigned himself to life as a woman. Luckily, the Hibiki boy had come and snapped Ranma out of his unwarranted depression.

If it hadn't have been for the help of those unlikely friends then Ranma would have likely have been stuck as a girl. If it _hadn't_ been for Ryouga, that would have most definitely been the outcome.

Cologne paused and watched the sun set, as the stars began to twinkle in the sky. She had groomed Ranma, for some time, to take over her position as Tribal Leader when she either passed on, or left the Village on one of her _long_ expeditions.

*I had been so close. I should have been more caring to Shampoo. I should have been... but couldn't be. The Tribes survival is of utmost importance, and Shampoo has ruined the Ancestry of our family, and has forced me into- this course of action. I had hoped that I might never have to do this.* Cologne looked up at the peak, not but a few hours climb to the top.

She began again, in darkness. Trusting her senses to guide her safely to the top... careful at which rock she placed her trust in.

She finally pulled herself over the sheer cliff and onto the plateau of Mount Shimitsu. Below her she could see Jusenkyo, each pool reflecting a single star and mirroring the sky like a brother.

Mount Phoenix stabbed the sky in defiance of the quickly growing night, standing tall and proud against the black miasma of darkness. Cologne looked below, to see the Joketsuzoku tribal Village as a tiny speck far below.

Cologne dwelled on the fight once more, trying to find some other way it could have ended... and trying to fathom who the odd boy was who had intercepted her wrath.

*Hiroshi.* Cologne recalled the name. There was a hidden story behind the person, a story which Cologne wished she knew.

Shampoo's defiance, she realized, could not have gone unpunished. She had failed in that punishment. She could not bear to see her only Descendant slaughtered because of a singularly selfless act. The tribal Law was clear... Shampoo should have been killed.

Or, someone should have been killed in her stead. Someone responsible for all the heartache that had been caused by her decision. Ranma was the one Cologne had chosen as the Martyr; Even that had not gone as planned.

"Who awaits my presence within the common rock of my Home?" A soft feminine voice whispered from the wind.

Cologne had been prepared for this.

A bright flash of fire encircled the Mountain, as a serpent of Flame wound it's way from the sky and plunged itself into the Plateau with a viscious shake of the Mountain.

Cologne struggled to stay standing, as the Serpent changed to a shade of blue. The fierce green and red mane was whipped in the wind as the huge dragon-eyes glared at the Joketsuzoku Chieftess.

"Who would suffer such a long ordeal to talk to a slumbering Dragon?!" The voice began to get angry.

"I am Cologne, of Joketsuzoku. Your Tribe of Amazons," Cologne bowed deeply.

The Dragon looked down at the Mortal with a hint of amusement.

"You are a daughter of Paah Fuum. I am impressed, I had not been aware any of you _strong_ vermin were still living," The dragon chuckled and began to shrink. The shape changed form, shifting as scales arranged into the semblance of clothing, soft curves forming on the previous Dragon's body, features becoming more... human, more female, more beautiful.

"Forgive the intrusion, Shimitsu of the Kami. The ancient line is in dire jeopardy. The staff has been broken..." Cologne trailed off as the Dragoness's soft blue eyes began to burn with an intensity that frightened Cologne.

"That staff was one of similar origin of myself. The breaking of it is a disaster you can _not_ imagine. I put that staff into the care of your ancestor for a reason... so that it would be protected," Shimitsu looked at Cologne, considering her as one would consider a fly.

"I understand the legend, Shimitsu. My efforts to preserve the line of the Amazons has met with an unfortunate, and disastrous end. There is a boy named Ranma who is the center of it all, if it were not for him-" Cologne was silenced by the resonance of the Dragoness's voice.

"I know of this Ranma. He is a great warrior of even greater skill, but his pride will one day lead to tragedy. He is a worthy suitor for your daughter. That is, if She had not already been taken," Shimitsu smirked at Cologne's wince.

"How did you-"

"It is my responsibility to watch over all those born in the Village below, as well as those cursed by the waters of Jusenkyo. I have taken considerable interest in your lives, however, as I have not had as much laughter in such a long time," Shimitsu smiled openly, putting Cologne at an uneasy relaxation.

"She was the only heir, so I assume you know what I am here for," Cologne bowed again slightly, and Shimitsu frowned.

"Yes. Of course, my Son is a distance away... he has been gone for at least a century. There is nothing I can do to summon him." Cologne seemed to visually wither as Shimitsu spoke.

"I imagine you are quite disappointed in this turn of events," Shimitsu approached Cologne, and the Old Amazon tensed up involuntarily.

"I made a vow when I broke the staff... that I must keep. Son-In- I mean, Ranma. I swore that he would suffer torment. I cannot, and _will_ not, go back on such a promise. No matter how much my feelings have changed since then," Shimitsu considered Cologne's words, and began floating in mid air as she thought.

"You do not realize the trial that your 'Ranma' is already going through. But then, neither does the young one. The next Month shall not be a pleasant one for the child. If you truly wish to witness this, I suppose I can help you. _You_ however must promise _me_ something," Shimitsu dropped back to the ground quietly and looked at Cologne's withered features.

"I promise, so long as it is within my power to do so," Cologne bowed again, wondering what the Dragoness had in mind.

Shimitsu grinned and began to speak, "It is quite within your power to do. You will return to this- this Nerima. Not now, but in a Month. Once there, you will see that the words you spoke in haste have taken a tight hold upon the people there. Yes, Ranma will suffer for the next month. Mayhaps not physically... for Ranma is too strong to be harmed permanently by any type of injury. However, Ranma _will_ suffer a trial not yet realized. You will help the boy through this difficulty, I want him unharmed... and when Ranma marries, I want his children unharmed as well. This is what I ask of you," Shimitsu began to shift her shape again, melting back into her dragon form.

"But- Shimitsu, I am not sure I can return! I'm not sure if I'm welcome anym-"

"Silence!!! You will return. Until the time comes, you must train. And heed this; Those most confident will fail, those rising in victory will fall, those who sacrifice... are spared," And the Dragon vanished in a sparkle of stars.

Cologne shunned the words, how could she help Saotome? She despised the boy that he could destroy so much without even trying. How could she get by her bias?

And why did she feel odd?

Cologne froze and looked down, taking in her new shape... a shape she hadn't seen in over two and a half century's...

A high pitched teenage scream echoed off of the Mountains in the Tsing Hai Province.


	15. Healing Wind

Ranma walked away from the school, her eyes downcast. The day had _not_ gone well. Ranma just wished she would never have to wear the dress again. She knew she had little choice. She paused suddenly and looked down at herself.

*Why a girl? Why did it have to be a girl?* Ranma's composure broke and she leaned against the stone wall.

"Hey, Ranma!! Wait up, buddy!" Hiroshi yelled, running as fast as he could. Hiroshi had been worried about Ranma since he arrived at school. He had seen how Ranma had been dressed, and also found it disturbing that his Mother could do something like that to him.

Hiroshi was so caught up in his thoughts that he almost ran by Ranma.

"Go Away, 'Roshi," Ranma said in a half-hearted attempt to get rid of her friend.

"C'mon, Ranma. I _know_ that something's bothering you. I mean, I've never seen someone so eager to get home. You tore outta there like there was no tomorrow!"

Ranma looked up at Hiroshi, the sunny smile on her friends face seemed to mock her own senseless lack of confidence. Her friends wavy brownish-red hair blew softly in the wind. Hiroshi seemed like he didn't have a care in the world.

*But his eyes...* Something had been bugging Ranma about his friends eyes. Recently, whenever Ranma seemed troubled, or whenever there was something bothering Ranma, Hiroshi would get a wistful almost sad look in his eyes.

It wasn't pity. Ranma knew that Hiroshi didn't pity her... it was something Ranma couldn't describe. Something chillingly familiar.

"You're not gonna tell me, are you?" Hiroshi leaned against the other side of the pole, and set his bookbag down on the ground.

Suddenly, Ranma remembered the promise she had made to Sayuri... sighing heavily. *Well, If I can't tell Hiroshi... then who?*

"It's- It's the fact that people are all treating me like I'm a girl. This morning, and for the rest of the day, people started looking at me different. Hey, even the guys treated me different, and I _definitely_ noticed a reaction that wasn't there before," Ranma shuddered at the thought. She could turn _men_ on.

"..." Hiroshi thought about saying something, but knew that with Ranma it was best to let her tell it all herself. An interruption would just prove to be a catalyst for an end to the conversation.

"But it's not only that. It's like I have no control over my life. This curse, all the Fiancee stuff, and now, this- this- I hate this! I'm starting to _feel_ like a- a- but I'm _not_ a girl! At least I still hate all of this," Ranma kicked a rock at her feet.

"I mean, I'm in a dress, 'Roshi! AND I'm wearing a bra!!! Dammit, but the thing makes _these_-" Ranma motioned at her breasts, "-A hell of a lot more comfortable. I _Like_ wearing a bra, Hiroshi. Do you know what that _means_?!?!" Ranma stood and walked around to where she was facing her friend.

"It _means_ I'm a girl. Guy's don't wear bra's! Guy's don't wear make-up or perfume... My Mom's trying to _destroy_ me Hiroshi!" Ranma grabbed his friend by the collar and shook him.

Hiroshi smiled that winning smile. "Ranma. Just because you like being comfortable doesn't make you a girl. The makeup or the dress or the perfume doesn't make you a girl. Tell me, do you Love a guy?" Ranma looked at Hiroshi with an odd look, something between an absurd shock and a relieved smile.

"Uh- I- n- not really..." Ranma found herself a bit less disturbed by all the weird changes.

"Does it seem like I care if you look more feminine?" Hiroshi stared directly at Ranma's eyes. Ranma blinked for a moment, and released her friend.

"I guess not. What's that got to do with anything?" Ranma looked confused.

"Was there anyone whose opinion you cared about that treated you differently?" Hiroshi crossed his arms in a relaxed manner.

Ranma thought. There hadn't really been anyone whom he considered a friend who had treated him differently. Other than Ryouga. *But then, Ryouga thought I was trying to trick him...* Ranma's composure almost gave way when she remembered what she had done to Ryouga. She had never actually _hurt_ Ryouga before.

Then it popped into her head. It _had_ happened. With Akane. Akane had been acting different since the incident in Gym. All of Akane's friends in the locker room had started asking Ranma about her favorite movie, or where she got her perfume and some of the girls who _didn't_ know Ranma had started asking about which guys she liked, and someone had mentioned something about a Period. *Or was it an Exclamation?* Regardless to say, Ranma hardly had much to say about _any_ of the subjects.

Akane had complimented Ranma on her hair as they were walking to class. _That_ had really made Ranma feel bad. As well as the odd fact that Akane seemed to be babbling more and giggling alot. *Well, the giggling wasn't so bad...*

"Actually, 'Roshi... Akane has been treatin' me like I was always this way. Not all the time, but sometimes she'll forget I'm really a guy. Then there was Ryouga, who I almost hurt badly because he was taking pot-shots at my clothing and all- I don't usually get so upset," Ranma fell back into her depression.

Hiroshi mentally slapped himself. He should have kept that last sentence out of the conversation. He had _heard_ things about the way people were treating Ranma differently.

Ranma began walking again, yet not as quickly as before. Hiroshi snatched up his bag and began to follow.

"Hiroshi," Ranma began, in a tone dripping with despair. "I know you meant well. I've never known a time when you couldn't cheer me up, but it didn't work. I think you just made me feel worse..." Ranma trailed off, unable to say more.

The words tore through Hiroshi like a sonic boom. Self-loathing washed over Hiroshi, as well as regret.

Hiroshi had never actually made Ranma feel _worse_. Every time he had tried to make Ranma feel better had ended in success.

To hear that he had actually hurt Ranma worse than the original wound... there was a tight stabbing pain in Hiroshi's heart, as if someone had plunged a knife through it.

"'Roshi?" Ranma had paused when she saw her friends face contort in pain and sadness.

"I'm sorry, Ranma. For making you feel worse than before..." Hiroshi looked down at the ground, a bit of the glint having left his eyes.

Ranma fidgeted nervously. "C'mon, 'Roshi. Don't do this. You make me feel bad when you're like this," Ranma began to feel a tightening in her chest, where the mutual sorrow was growing for making Hiroshi sad.

Hiroshi brightened after a moment, an idea forming in his mind as he recalled something that always cheered him up.

"Ranma. Do you feel the sun and the wind?" Hiroshi concentrated on the horizon, as the soft breeze blew through his wavy hair and the sunlight danced on his finely chiseled face.

"Yeah, why?" A curious tone had invaded Ranma's words, as she saw the distant look fall over Hiroshi's soft eyes.

"The sun. Can you feel it soaking into you, filling you with life, illuminating the world, close your eyes... do you feel it?" Hiroshi watched as Ranma closed her eyes. They both paused in walking. Ranma concentrated on trying to feel what Hiroshi was describing.

"No. Relax and let _it_ come to _you_," Hiroshi placed a hand on Ranma's shoulder. The girl let her mind go blank ,and forgot about concentrating. Soon, a smile spread across her face as she felt a warmth spread through her body.

"Now open your eyes," Ranma did so, "Do you feel the wind at your back? Pressing you on, racing the sun, forever running across the world?" Ranma looked at Hiroshi with a confused look.

Hiroshi began walking, and his pace increased with his words, Ranma began matching his pace and listening. "The wind is free. Ever roaming, ever flying through the world..." Hiroshi spoke with a soft voice as he began, "The wind sings a song of laughter and joy, while whispering the secret sorrows of all who have known loss. Yet, in the simple telling of the story is the joy of truth and love..." Hiroshi's tone started to rise, in response to both the wind and the building excitement that seemed to radiate from him, "The wind is the song of the world, and the wind laughs as it runs!!" Ranma found herself closing her eyes, as she ran.

Not anywhere.

No destination.

And she laughed. Hiroshi laughed with her as they drank the sun and devoured the joy of freedom.

Hiroshi kept pace, never falling a stride behind Ranma. Neither cared where they ran, and all Ranma knew was that this... was life. She felt _alive_, and so long as she ran all the problems of the world could not catch her... for she was the wind, and the wind was Ranma.


	16. Hear no Evil

Ukyou rushed out the door as the last bell rang, dismissing school for the day. As she got out to the schoolyard, she started looking through the crowd for the familiar red-head.

Ranma had startled her when she had broken into Hinako's classroom, basically because of how she was dressed as well as the faint hint of perfume left in the pig-tailed-girl's wake.

She had not seriously believed Saotome Nodoka when she had announced Ranma's training as a 'girl' would begin today. She never actually considered that Ranma would go through such an embarrassing ordeal for even _one_ day.

"Oops, excuse me," Came a familiar voice as Ukyou backed into someone.

"Akane?" Ukyou asked, as she turned around. She came face to face with Akane.

"Ukyou? Have _you_ seen Ranma?" Akane had been looking since school got out, and hadn't been able to find her ex-fiancee. She was a bit worried about Ranma... and the way she had been acting the entire day.

"No, Akane-Chan, I was going to ask you the same thing!" Ukyou had been surprised when Ranma ran _away_ from the blue-haired girl in Hinako's room... the look on the red-head's face was one of sheer terror before she had disappeared down the hall. Ukyou wanted to make sure she was all right.

"Hiya, ladies! Hey, didja check out the water-molecules on that babe in Hinako's room?!" Daisuke made an exaggerated expression play on his face before he grinned from ear to ear.

"Not funny, Daisuke!" Akane said, as she smacked her book-bag into the boy's arm.

"Hey! It was just a joke? You needn't get so perterbed since I'm admittedly not attracted to verified _Elemental_," Daisuke said the last word with emphasis.

"An Elemental?" Ukyou asked, a bit puzzled at what Daisuke meant.

"Yup, full-blown paranormal form , with metaphysical abilities pertaining to the manipulation of water. In layman's terms... she controls water with _magic_ powers inherent within her!" Daisuke winked, as Akane groaned.

"Great, another superhuman monster out to get Ranma!" Ukyou noted that Akane looked a tad worried as she spoke.

"Actually, discerning the Water-Elemental's chosen destination's, as well as the verbal support for the case, I think it's Shampoo you should be worried about," Daisuke began punching numbers into his E-pad as he talked.

"Shampoo?!" Ukyou and Akane said Simultaneously. They looked at eachother, trying to understand why someone would come after the Joketsuzoku Princess.

"Yup. Hey, I was wondering, do you people know what happens when you invert light particles back in upon themselves, and then intensify the density?" Daisuke looked up from his E-pad with a questioning expression.

Akane and Ukyou had an utterly confused look on their faces.

"Okay, how about the ability to strip ones own genes up until the point where you are a formless mass with immense kinetic energy which somehow allows potential instanteaneous metamorphitisation?" Daisuke punched several more keys and then looked back up again.

Akane and Ukyou were sweating. They looked at eachother and then shrugged.

"GAAAHH! What is this, does nobody have the mental proportions to handle the questions that pertain to simple quantum physics and genetic engineering?! Okay... never mind. Hey, you guys wanna go get a bite to eat?" Daisuke stuffed the E-notebook back into his backpack.

"Oh, thanks Daisuke! I forgot, I have to go open up shop... Uhm, Dai?" Daisuke looked at Ukyou when she murmured his name.

"Tha's my name, make sure you don't lose the spinning gyro-sphere!" Daisuke laughed, which released some of the weird tension the conversation had created. Akane and Ukyou smiled as Daisuke returned to his 'Fun' mode.

"Have you seen Ranma? I mean, he seemed pretty down for some reason, and I was wanting to apologize for acting like I did today. It's just, when I saw him, it was like he was trying to get out the door and back home as quickly as possible," Daisuke sighed as Akane spoke. Then he looked at Ukyou.

"You know, if you two shmucks would've shown this much care a month or so ago. Ranma _might_ have been able to talk to you two. Unfortunately, since that day of the 'Terrible Nervous Breakdown!', My Main Man's only been able to confide in my Truo Duo buddy. Hiroshi. I dunno, I guess Hi's introspection and vigor for life make him more appealing than a mallet wielding/smother-with-love ex-fiancee's," Daisuke shook his head. Akane and Ukyou seemed to be very red, and Daisuke got the feeling he might have angered them. *Why? Every time I try to help.... DAMMITALL!*

"If the Pervert would stop being such an _idiot_ that hammer wouldn't be so _useful_ all the time!" Akane grabbed Daisuke with one hand by his Chinese-style black shirt, Ukyou did the same.

"I do _not_ smother Ran-Chan! He loves me!" Ukyou and Akane hauled back to launch Daisuke into the stratosphere.

"True," Daisuke said, with a completely calm tone of voice. Akane and Ukyou then blinked and removed their hands.

"What?" They replied in unison.

"Ranma can be insensitive, a real jerk sometimes. Bbut that's because he can't handle all the pressure by himself, so he tries to put some of his own anguish on other people, I think. I'm sure Ranma loves you Ukyou. Maybe not in the way you hope... wish... pray. The only thing is- he _can't_ talk to you two! If he told you something personal, about some of his problems... Akane would likely dub him 'pervert' and pull out ye ol' mallet. He can't tell Ucchan because... well, Hi already told you 'bout that. Guilt by association, Ukyou, it's a real pisser," Daisuke walked away from the two stunned teens.

There was a long pause as Akane and Ukyou considered the words, carefully filtering out what they didn't want to hear.

"He _is_ a Pervert!" Akane yelled at the quickly vanishing Daisuke.

"Hear that?! He loves me!" Ukyou beamed... not having caught the rest.

Daisuke muttered under his breath, "And one more reason; because you don't listen... Hiroshi is as silent as the wind and when someone speaks, he listens."


	17. The Chase Begins

"All right, begin!" Mousse yelled as he pushed the button on the Stop watch.

Hiroshi and Ranma began vigorously devouring the food at a rate that would make fire look slow. Five-courses...

"Stop, if I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have believed it; this is the fifth meal you two have downed in under three minutes. In fact, you two seem to be in some type of synch. You both finish at the exact time!" Mousse looked at the watch. Two minutes and Fourty-Seven seconds.

"Nah... it's just that me and Hiroshi are such great fans of foreign cuisine!" Ranma laughed and rubbed the back of her head.

"Yup, Foreign means _outside_ our stomachs... that makes food foreign cuisine!" Ranma and Hiroshi both laughed. Ranma decided that the day hadn't been that bad. For the past six hours since school got out, she had been following Hiroshi around.

It had started out with a serious talk about the events at school. Then they had gone shopping in Tokyo, where Ranma bought some jeans and tee-shirts from one of Hiroshi's favorite brands, Hiroshi had bought her a Gunndamn Poster to 'Liven' up the dreary room she shared with her Father, and then they had gone to get some Icecream, at behest of Ranma.

Hiroshi reluctantly shelled out some cash, seeing as how Ranma was by now very broke(Both from the shopping, as well as from Nabiki!).

Then they decided to go catch the New Action-Movie playing at the Cinema-Showcase, of which afterwards they discussed how realistic the explosions were(From personal experience).

Then it was time for an early dinner, Hiroshi decided to stop by the Nekohanten as Ranma seemed to have been avoiding the restaurant as of late. He guessed that it was because Ranma had been... a bit uncomfortable around Mousse since the battle, and Hiroshi had noticed the same reaction from Mousse.

*Funny, they seem to be getting along just fine right now.* Hiroshi sighed as Ranma started telling him _another_ story of the ever-wandering Hibiki. Hiroshi sighed, deeply this time.

Ranma looked up at him and smiled. Hiroshi rustled his hair as he listened to her speak. *Damn it, but I love it when Ranma smiles. Makes me feel like I've had a part in making Her happy.* Hiroshi doesn't catch the feminine proverb in his mind, but he does hear a boom coming closer.

"And so he jumps and zoom! Goes right over the wall, straight through the rain. Hey, Hiroshi? Somethin' wrong?" Ranma forgets the question as the table shakes, the rumbling seems to be continuous now and coming closer.

"Neh? Ranma, what's going on?" Mousse asked, getting into a defensive stance as the guests hopped under the tables.

"Hey! What makes you think _I've_ got anything to do with this?" The roaring noise is suddenly heralded by a huge gush of water flooding into the Nekohanten's door in a torrent.

Everyone in the main room gets soaked, making Hiroshi into his new female self. In the wake of the torrent stood a somewhat familiar blue-haired girl... her eyes glinting in the afternoon sun.

"Where is Princess of Joketsuzoku?" Aquarius asked in a calm tone. Her eyes darted back and forth over the hiding patrons of the Cat Cafe, then suddenly her gaze locked on Mousse.

A grin alighted on her face. "You, who are in cerimonial priest dress of Tribe. Where is Princess?!" Aquarius was in front of Mousse with a flash, the Amazon warrior took on an offensive stance.

"And what business is it of _your's_ to question where my darling Shampoo is?!" Mousse was readying himself to attack, a bit of fear in his stance as he saw the enormous source of power eminating around the Elemental's chi.

"She who is Shampoo's ancestral leader is one whom put me in watery prison of Chiisuiton! Those of her seed now die by hand of prisoner they made!" Aquarius shot her hands out, and jet's of water rushed toward Mousse.

Mousse dodged the obvious attack, sensing where the path of energy would next take the Elemental-enchanted water.

"I won't let you hurt Shampoo!!!" Mousse yelled, and flung his arms forward, wrapping the elemental in chains of steel.

Aquarius blinked and then smiled. "So, you are feisty one. You not know what you deal with, as water is power of life, so does it wear down the walls of hope, constantly burning silent against stone and metal... corroding, eroding... washing away of victory!" The steel chains began turning a rust-color as Aquarius spoke, and bits of metal began flaking away.

Mousse was stunned when the chains fell to the ground, rusted and worn from the barrage of the elements.

"Mousse get down!" Mousse ducked as Shampoo flew over her husband's head, bonbori in hand, to land a mighty blow upon the creature of water before them.

Aquarius staggered back from the blow, and glared in anger at her new opponent.

"You! You are the one I want... you who are seed of my despair! YOU MUST DIE!!!" Aquarius launched herself forward, and began attacking Shampoo with a ferocity Ranma was amazed at.

Shampoo dodged, ducked, jumped, and blocked the flurry of attacks as Aquarius relentlessly continued.

Shampoo jumped as Aquarius launched a sweeping kick, followed by a jet of water knocking Shampoo back and into the wall...

Aquarius looked around, surprised that her prey had eluded her, and wondering where she had gone.

The angry Elemental picked Mousse up from where he had fallen to the ground.

"Where you put her?!" Aquarius got out, before she heard a very shrill scream.

"GET IT OFFA ME!!!" Yelled a familiar voice which Aquarius couldn't quite place.

Ranma leaped from her hiding place and began running in a circle, flailing her arms wildly as Shampoo-Neko clung to her head.

"GET IT OFF! OFF! OFF! I'M GONNA LOSE IT, I SWEAR!!!" Aquarius stared at the weird spectacle as the red-head ran around the restaurant screaming.

Soun and Genma suddenly leaped in the door.

"Ahah! Ranma, m'boy! I knew we'd find you here! Where have you-Gah!" Genma was trampled as Ranma ran through the door.

"Wait! Shampoo! Wait for me!" Mousse yelled as he ran after Ranma.

"Wh-what's going on here, Saotome?!" Soun asked as he was likewise upended by a desperate Mousse.

"How should I-GROWF?!" Genma was suddenly a panda, due to Aquarius rushing out the door after Mousse.

"Saotome?! Don't just lie there! The boy needs our help!" Soun had lept to his feet as Mr. Panda sat up.

You're not an over-weight Panda! Give me some time!

"Uhm, gentlemen, while you two dally, I'm sure Ranma is in a spot of trouble," Amiko helped Mr. Panda to his feet, and adjusted her belt.

Surprisingly, the outfit Amiko was wearing also fit in her female form.

"Right! Now which way did they go?" Soun and Genma looked either way. To the left was a fair audience of people looking back and forth and murmuring about a strange girl surrounded by water, a red-head who seemed frightened to death, and an odd boy in white robes.

To the right lay utter chaos. Fences pulled down, walls smashed, fire hydrants spraying water from their broken pipes. The cement was cracked and soaked, and a lamp-post had been downed.

I think they went Left Amiko smacked the Panda over the head with his own sign.

"Gimme a break, you guy's are such wusses!" Amiko ran off to the Right, following the trail of destruction.

Then again, I suppose right could be right.

"Of course it is, Saotome! If it wasn't, it would be left! Let's go!" Soun ran after Amiko, a reluctant Panda followed.

"GAHHHH!" Ranma screamed as she ran down the street, a cat firmly attached to her head. Shampoo 'Meowed' furiously as Mousse followed her.

"Shampoo!!! Ranma!!!" Mousse was unaware of the fact that Aquarius was hot on his heels, smashing anything that got in her way.

*You will perish, Cursed girl* Aquarius swept all objects out of her way, smashing anything solid with hard-water(Ice). Mousse was finally caught and flung into the sky by the angry Water Elemental. The chase continued, right past a familiar blue-haired, bandanna wearing boy staring confusedly at a map.

"I _know_ that the Tendo Dojo was around here somewhere." Ryouga sensed danger and lept straight up, avoiding the barrage of water left in Aquarius's wake. He landed safely, without the cursed change he had become so accustomed to.

"That was close-BWEEEEEE!" Ryouga yelled as an old lady with a ladle splashed him.

*DAMMIT! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, RANMA!* P-Chan Thought.

Ranma continued running, till he ran through a burst pipe of warm water.

Shampoo clung to him affectionately, while Ranma turned posatively red when he realized he was in a dress.

"Ooh... I thank you for saving me, Ranma! Shampoo is happy you are such good fri-" Shampoo was cut off by a very angry Ranma.

"DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN!!!" Ranma yelled, before he realized that Shampoo was *Naked*. Ranma blushed furiously at the realization of this. Then, a voice from behind Ranma made the pig-tailed boy groan in recognition.

"Yet, I never thought the Demon so debased that it wouldst stoop as low as thus; to take upon itself the mantle of women's clothing, and seduce yet another innocent young body so that it might inhabit not only Ranma Saotome, but two beautiful verile young women! Alas, I fear it is my duty, as a sacred Knight of the Kuno Clan, to make sure such debasement go no farther!" Kuno stood, his bokken in hand... pointing it at Ranma.

"I haven't got time for this, you idiot!" Ranma yelled in the kendoist's face. Ranma looked back to see Aquarius charging straight for them.

"If you doth wish to flee, you might do so! But to go forth, one must pass Kuno Tatewaki, Blue Thunder of Furinken High!" Lightning and thunder crashed behind Kuno as he raised his bokken to the sky.

Ranma kicked him in the gut, then lept over Kuno and continued running, Shampoo close behind.

"Nay! I shall not let such malevolent tendencies go unpunished!" Kuno began chasing Ranma, his bokken drawn and ready for battle.

The kendoist heard a crash from behind him, and he looked cautiously over his shoulder to see a young-girl with cascading blue hair, a glint of fire in her eyes as she demolished everything in her path.

"YAAAHH! It is a foul Demon summoned from the Nether-regions of man's worst nightmares, come to aid the treacherous Evil Being! Yet, I cannot defeat it without the sorcerous aid of the demon-spirit inhabiting Ranma's petite form!" Kuno said all this while picking up spead, till he was quite ahead of a startled Ranma.

"How the hell did he do that?" Ranma asked, looking after Kuno as he vanished in a trail of dust.

"Is Kuno, I no Know. Maybe you ask him later, yes?" Shampoo whispered from beside Ranma.

"Yeah. Later... WHY IS THAT THING CHASING YOU!?!?!" Ranma asked.

"You think Shampoo know? I have no thought on subject. Great Grandmother never tell me anything about weird water-lady before," Shampoo looked back over her shoulder, verifying that Aquarius was still following them.


	18. The Chase Ends

Akane walked down the street, an angry expression on her face. *Ranma thinks that just because I cooked tonight he can go over to the Nekohanten? The jerk didn't even come home after School! If it had been Ucchan's, I could understand, but I DIDN'T give him permission to go THERE!* Akane stopped in her tracks as she heard a comotion coming closer.

"Hmm?" Akane stared and squinted her eyes, till she could make out a red-headed girl running in her direction. A cloud of dust was hovering over the horizon as Akane watched Ranma close the distance between them.

*Ranma, now he's gonna get it!* Akane got ready to hit Ranma as hard as she could. As Ranma got closer, Akane's anger surged as she saw Shampoo, Naked, chasing after Ranma.

*WHAT?!* Akane didn't understand. Was Shampoo truly low enough to double time on Mousse? And with Ranma, of all people!

"RANMMAAAAAA!" Akane yelled, as Ranma screamed past her at a breakneck speed.

"Hi Akane, Bye Akane!" Ranma managed to get out.

Akane turned to chase him and began yelling.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!" Akane heard a rushing sound coming up from behind her, and she turned in time to see a wave of water smash her into the wall.

After the wave had passed, Akane looked down at her new dress, torn and soaked. Her face began turning all different colors of red.

"Oh! Akane! What are you doing here?" Soun asked, as he began jogging in place.

"I came looking for _Ranma_ after Kasumi told me he was at the Nekohanten!" Akane stood up, and tried to dust herself off.

"Don't worry, we have everything under control!" Soun smiled and continued to jog on.

Amiko carrying a Panda passed Akane a moment later, "Get OFFA ME!!! I don't CARE if you hurt your FOOT!" Akane glanced around at what was left of the street, which looked like a tornado had hit.

"Oh yeah, Daddy. Everything's juuuuust fine!"

"RANMAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Akane heard Ryouga yell. The lost boy was soaked and seemed to be chasing after the group.

"Oh, hi Akane! Hahaha!" Ryouga stopped and grinned sheepishly.

Akane smiled back, glad that Ryouga was here. *Maybe I'll finally get some answers about this mess!*

"Ryouga, what is going on here? I know _you'll_ tell me!" Ryouga fidgeted and tried not to look at Akane.

"Well, I think- what it is- I'm sure that- I mean, I think someone is chasing Ranma. And that idiot's gotten ME involved again! I swear, one day I'll put him through some torment he'll never forget!" Ryouga had a vacant look as he gritted his teeth and clenched his fist in front of his chest.

Akane couldn't understand what could come between two great friends like Ranma and Ryouga that would make them so bitter towards eachother.

"Uh... yeah. I suppose we should go after the jerk then, right?" Akane asked, as she turned to run back to the Dojo.

Ryouga began running as well, sure that he would be able to help Akane in her hour of need.

"Ah, Ryouga-kun?" Akane asked, as she paused.

"Yes, Akane?" Ryouga flashed her his fanged smile, expecting her to thank him for being so valiant and caring, and that she wished she had a boyfriend like Ryouga...

"Follow me, you're heading the wrong way," Akane smiled as she began running.

Ryouga blushed, but began to follow Akane. *Stupid... how embarrasssing!* If Ryouga hadn't been busy, he would have smacked himself in the head.

*********

Hikaru Gosunkugi had awoken with a spring in his step, for today he would mail a love letter to Tendo Akane, telling her his true feelings.

He began whistling a happy tune as he approached the Mail Box. *Strange. I don't recall a Mail Box being on this street Corner.* Gosunkugi shrugged and opened the box. He quickly stuffed his letter in.

The box started to jump! Gosunkugi was startled beyond belief!

The mailbox began running down the street.

"HEY! COME BACK HERE WITH THAT LETTER, YOU EVIL MAIL BOX!!!" Gosunkugi began chasing after the mailbox.

*********

"Sweeto! Boy, today's a day for surprises!" Happosai glared into the Girl's bathhouse, directly into the locker room. His eyes bulged as he watched the girl's get undressed.

"Ohhh. Today will be a day to remember!!! To think, that on this day the Cheerleaders from across Tokyo would end up passing through Nerima on their way to some Cheerleader contest, and getting so dirty they would have to use the Bathhouses!!! How Sweet it IS!!" Happosai quietly slipped into the locker room, using his stealth strategy's he had aquired over the three hundred years he had lived to avoid being spotted.

"Hmmm, Ahhh, yes," Happosai examined the lockers, and then slammed his pipe into the side of them. Locker after locker swung open.

"Happosai, you certainly have the touch!" The old man chortled. He began emptying the bra's and Panties into his collection bag.

He was half-way done when...

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEK! A PERVERT!" A young girl screamed. The women in the bathhouse began rushing into the room to see a wrinkled old bag with a load of silky underwear.

"Oh dear, I suppose it's time I took my leave, TATA LADIES!" Happosai leaped up into the air and out the window.

"AFTER HIM GIRLS!!!" One of the Cheerleaders yelled, they quickly threw on their outfits and began chasing the aged pervert.

"Well now, I didn't expect that they would catch me so early, but then I guess it's my own fault," Happosai ran on, while an angry bunch of cheerleaders ran after him.

Little did the aged martial-artist know that he was heading for a collision with another group of people...

*********

Ranma gasped for air in the alleyway, as Shampoo squeezed the water out of her hair.

"I sorry, Ranma. I no mean to get you in trouble," Shampoo sounded sincere, and Ranma had no reason to doubt her word.

"I just wish you wouldn't do that, Shampoo. You know how deathly afraid of cats I am!" Ranma looked at the Amazon girl who had once been his fiancee, blushing as he tried to ignore her unclothed status.

"Ranma like what he see?" Shampoo asked. Ranma realized he was staring at her bosom and pulled his eyes away. Ranma had always known Shampoo was attractive, but his evasion of intimacy, as well as the fact that he was trying to stay on Akane's good side most of the time had given him little time to pay attention to Shampoo.

"I'm- sorry, Shampoo," Ranma was both apologizing for looking, as well as for the fact that he couldn't marry the Amazon Princess.

"Is okay, Ranma. I love you still, yes, but I not know what I almost lose till it nearly slip through fingers without knowing... Mousse make me happy. Strong as you he might not be, but he is my Mousse," Shampoo got a distant, almost bittersweet happy look on her face.

Ranma found himself feeling a similar feeling for Shampoo and realized that throughout their relationship, he had grown closer to her. He might have even loved her a little, granted not as much as Akane... but enough to count.

"I'm happy for you, I really am. I never thought you would willingly go with Mousse, I mean when you chose him over me- it kinda, well I felt a little jealous..." Shampoo smiled a coy smile as she looked up at Ranma.

"Do you say you really care for Shampoo?" There was a glimmer in Shampoo's eyes, as well as the bittersweet emotion she had exibited moments before.

"Uh- yeah. I guess that's what I'm sayin'..." Shampoo hugged Ranma fiercely, tears streaming from her eyes.

"I always know you care, but now it can not be. I still want be friends, though, yes?" Ranma looked down into Shampoo's violet eyes and smiled slightly.

"That would be... nice, Shampoo. Uhm, don't you feel silly hugging a guy in a dress?" Ranma turned red again as he remembered his own clothing.

"No, is more silly I naked!" They both laughed. Suddenly, a shadow fell over them.

"YOU!" A familiar voice yelled at the pair. A looming pillar of water surrounded the figure, obscuring it from view, until the water parted and dropped to the ground, revealing Aquarius, an angry air surrounded the elemental as she stared at the descendant of her captor.

"YOU WILL PERISH, PRINCESS!!!" Aquarius started forward, water looming up all around her.

Suddenly, a white flash appeared from nowhere and Mousse was grappling with the elemental.

"Run Shampoo! I'll take care of her!" Ranma looked at Mousse wanting to help as Shampoo looked back and forth in desperation. There was stark fear in her eyes as she looked at Mousse, but Ranma didn't know how he could help the Amazon boy.

"I SAID RUN, YOU FOOLS!" Ranma hesitated, but finally turned and broke into a run, seeing nothing he could do for his friend at this moment. Shampoo reluctantly followed, after her eyes connected with Mousse's and a silent message passed between.

The two vanished out of the alley, and back into a chase scene as Ryouga, Kuno, Akane, Mr. Panda, Soun, and Amiko spotted them. Well... Ryouga saw them first.

While back in the alley, Mousse attacked Aquarius with his Raking-Hawks Talon. "I will die before you harm Shampoo, fiend!" Mousse cried out, as rock hard tendrils of water shot out and pinned him against the wall.

Aquarius growled with an inhuman timbre, "You will not stop my vengeance, by Kami! I will have penance!" Aquarius got a flash of his aura as he struggled and broke free from several of the tendrils. *A Feisty Spirit, this one!* She grinned as she saw a magical device wrapped tenuously around his finger, as well as the oddity in his aura marking him a Jusenkyou victim.

"Ahhh, so you too have suffered Jusenkyou. Perhaps I take you out of way right now, Hai?" Mousse was surrounded by water as Aquarius's face took on a serious, almost malevolent tone. The Silver Ring slipped off the boys finger and he instantly became a duck.

"Let your price for interference be your life, foolish Mortal!" Aquarius laughed as she left the alley in a wave of destruction. If one could know the sound of a duck weaping... it would be recognized from this avian creature laying in the alley. Mousse realized he may never be a man again.

*********

"COME BACK HERE, CRETINOUS FIEND!" Bellowed Kuno at his 'Demon Possessor of Souls'. The kendoist had decided that after the evil Demon inhabitor of his love's body had fled an alleyway with another such beautiful girl who was completely unclothed, that it was time to make the evil 'Ranma' suffer.

"YOU'LL PAY, RANMA!" Yelled Ryouga, brandishing his umbrella as he smashed through obstacles. Ryouga had had enough of being a victim of circumstance, always being in the wrong place at the wrong time when Ranma passed through.

"Faster, Saotome! The Boy is getting ahead of us!" Soun shouted at Amiko and Mr. Panda. Amiko was jogging and sweating with the black and white bear hefted heavily upon her shoulders.

"Growf," Replied the large man-turned-bear, as he snatched an icecream cone from a vendor as they passed.

"YOU TRY MOVING FASTER WITH A PANDA ON _YOUR_ BACK!" Amiko retorted to Soun. *Now I _Know_ why Ranma is so psychologically disturbed... with _these_ two around, who wouldn't be?!*

"RANMAAAAAAAA!!! WHY IS SHAMPOO NAKED?!?!?!" Akane screamed at her ex fiancee. She had thought she could trust Shampoo... obviously she had been wrong.

Ranma Ran for his life, with Shampoo close behind him, still unclothed. "I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!!! PLEASE!!!" Unfortunately, out of habit, nobody listened to Ranma.

Suddenly, Ranma upended a mailbox running in his direction, and the usually stationary object clung to the Martial Artist for all it was worth.

"YAAAH! I DON'T WANNA DIE!" Wept Tsubasa as he attached himself to Ranma. Ranma tried in vain to shake off the annoying thing.

Gosunkugi snatched the letter out of Tsubasa's prone hand just as the group was passing him. *Now, all I have to do is get it to Akane!* As if on cue, the youngest Tendo daughter passed the geeky boy. "Akane!" Gosunkugi cried, as he began his pursuit of her.

Azusa Shiratori and Mikado Sanzenin were coming out of an antique shop at about the same time as the mob was passing them. "Next time, YOU buy you're little toys," Mikado murmured to Azusa. They watched in stunned silence as the mob passed them.

Azusa, seeing the ultra-cute face attached to the mailbox clinging to Ranma, was instantly moved by the beauty of it's shiny surface. "MIRANDA!!!" The girl cried, and propelled herself after the Crossdressing mailbox.

"Stupid wench, chasing after oblivious things," Suddenly, Mikado was overcome by the beauty of a brownish-red haired girl hefting a Panda on her shoulders. *Surely if I kiss one such as this, my one thousandth woman... that cursed bad luck streak Saotome put upon me will quickly change to dubious good luck!*

Needless to say, Mikado began chasing after the girl to bestow his 'Greeting' upon her luscious lips.

Ranma rounded the bend to collide head on with Happosai. The mailbox went flying through the sky. "YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Yelled Tsubasa as he flew up into the wild blue yonder.

Everyone paused as they saw the familiar 'Master of Perversions' right before he jumped up, turned and ran down the adjoining street. Moments later a mob of women arrived at the chase. "Where'd he go?!" One of them yelled at Ryouga. "DON'T ASK ME!!!!" Ryouga screamed back. "Boy, what a rude guy, you'd think we insulted him or somethin'" One of the girls whispered to her friend.

"HAHAHAHA! WHATTA HAUL! WHATTA HAUL!!" Happosai paused in his fleeing to toss the bag he had been carrying to Ranma, who had been chasing out of conditioned response. "There you go, partner! you know where to hide them!" Happosai yelled and then hopped away. Ranma stared stunned for a moment down at the bag, and then recalled everyone following him... and the fact he was wearing a dress... and holding a bag of women's lingerie.

Ranma turned red and looked back at everyone looking at him, then down at his dress. He started laughing idiotically. "Uhm... sorry?" Several projectiles flew his way and he began running, both from Aquarius, as well as a mob of other people out to get him. He saw Happosai in the distance, and set his goal on catching the jerk.

"COME BACK HERE, YOU PERVERT!" Cried the women as the mob began moving after both Ranma and Happosai.

*********

A mailbox clattered to the ground on the street outside of The Ucchan. Konatsu, while sweeping, noticed a familiar girl/boy climb out of the disguise. Konatsu smiled and continued on in his work, as Tsubasa dragged himself/herself to the side-walk and lay inert.

The Cross-dressing ninja noticed a rumbling in the distance. He/she blinked and looked at a cloud of dust which lay just above the horizon, coming closer. Something familiar struck him about it.

"What's that, Konatsu?" the Ninja boy/girl jumped when Ukyou spoke.

"I think it's Ranma, in trouble again as usual," Ukyou gave Konatsu a worried look, and then groaned as she saw Tsubasa. Tsubasa was usually hurt in two seperate instances... one, when he was around Ranma. And two, when he was around Ukyou.

"Yup... sounds like another mob... look, here they come!" Ukyou saw Happosai in the front, while Ranma trailed him holding a bag of... lingerie? She squinted and made out the form of many angry girls following the pair.

Ukyou leaped over Konatsu and began chasing after her Ranchan, noting that he had probably been framed again for Happosai's crimes by the old pervert.

"Be back in time for closing, Ukyou-sama!" Konatsu yelled as his/her employer vanished in the distance, adding her own trail of dust to the growing mob.

*********

Happosai was subconsiously laughing to himself when he was kicked to the ground from behind. He quickly sprang back up and turned to see...

"Eh? What the-!?" Happosai looked up into the eyes of Ranma Saotome, a huge grin was displayed on the pig-tailed boy's face. Then Happosai looked back down at Ranma's dress. Happosai's eyes grew to twice their original size. "Ai yai yai!"

"Now Ranma, you're an even bigger pervert than me!!! Honestly, wearing women's clothing as a guy!" Ranma promptly stepped on Happosai's face, and then jumped into a backflip as his danger sense went off.

As he flipped he saw Ryouga with his umbrella, he landed in a battle ready stance. "What the hell is it about this time? WHOA!" Ranma ducked as a bokken flew over his head, and did a sweeping kick followed by a Tenshin Amaguriken to stun Kuno. Several Happodaikarin flew through the air, and Ryouga and Ranma began jumping around avoiding the explosions.

"HEY!? WHAT'S GOING ON HERE!?!" Akane yelled at nobody in particular. She looked over at Shampoo, who was still quite naked staring at Ranma with a worried expression. One could almost hear the steam as Akane stalked over to the ex-Amazon.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO RANMA?!" Akane yelled, while brandishing a fist in front of her.

"I no know what you mean, Akane-Chan," Shampoo gave Akane a confused look.

Amiko threw the Panda on the ground, tired of carrying it.

"Growf!!" Genma exlaimed as he was sat uncerimoniously upon the earth.

"Shaddup," Amiko managed, before she was plucked into the arms of Emperor Sanzenin, who was wearing roller-blades.

"Well now, you seem to be a fiery sort. Just the type that would be wild enough to tolerate someone like me," Mikado flaunted his playboy style all over again as he flew gracefully back and forth.

"Who the heck are you?" Amiko asked, looking at Mikado. *There's something familiar about that voice, and what he's saying...*

"I suppose I would be your friend, if you would have me," Amiko remembered, and tried being polite to the young man as she squirmed to get free.

"Uh- that's nice... could you please set me down?" Amiko began looking nervous.

"Well of course," Mikado stated in a serious tone.

"Thanks," Amiko relaxed slightly, not noticing that the skater hadn't set her down yet.

"But first, a farewell," Mikado brought his lips closer, closer.... Amiko almost screamed.

Mikado couldn't scream, as Ranma's fist made a healthy relationship with his face. "MFRGLRM!!!!"

"Thanks, Bud!" Amiko visibly looked shaken, but managed to duck a stray umbrella as she was set to the ground. Amiko looked back at Mikado, lying on the ground, and kicked him, hard. The party of girls finally surrounded Happosai, and began beating him vigorously... after a few moments, their attention was drawn to Ranma's battle. Happosai thanked his lucky stars that the pummeling had stopped, then began looking around for his load.

"BAKUSEI TENKETSU!" Yelled Ryouga as he brought his umbrella violently to the ground in a shattering explosion. Ranma threw himself towards the center of the blast radius and launched a Tenshin Amaguriken at Ryouga's abdomen.

Ryouga grunted angrily under the pain, and swung his arm wide, still blinded by the dust.

His fist connected with Kuno, and the Kendoist responed with a quick swing... which almost connected with Ranma's neck.

"Don't worry, Ranchan! I'll save you!" Ukyou cried as her spatula glimmered in the sun and came down with a thud on Ryouga's brain-case.

"Well... that smarted," Ryouga stated and leaped at Ranma in anger.

"NOW YOU DIE, RANMA!!!!!!!!" Ranma dropped to the ground on his shoulders and kicked up towards the descending Ryouga, knocking him back into Soun. Ranma used the momentum to leap back to his feet and resume his ready stance.

"OSCAR!!!" Cried Azusa as she clung affectionately to Mr. Panda. Mr. Panda tried ignoring the girl.

"Oscar, it's me! You're Mommy! HEY OSCAR!! OVER HERE SWEETY!" Azusa clung to the Panda and began beating it.

Mr. Panda waved a sign frantically. GET IT OFF ME TENDO!!! IT'S SUCKING MY WILL TO LIVE!!!

"Alas, to be defeated by such a demoralizing foe... bearing the garb of womanhood is more travesty than even I, Kuno Tatewake, can sustain. Unlike the boorish strength of the wandering boy, I have greater skill than he. Now, prepare yourself Demon, so that I might send thee back into the depths where you belong... along with your watery minion of despair! STRIKE OF A THOUSAND BLOWS!!!" Kuno began striking with rapidly growing succesion, till Ranma was _again_ having a rough time blocking the attacks. Just when Kuno thought he had one, Ranma flipped up and over the kendoist, pivoting with two fingers on his cranium. As he landed, Ranma swivelled and did a sweeping kick, knocking Kuno off his feet. Ukyou used her Spatula like a baseball bat, and launched Kuno right into a wall.

"Thanks, Ucchan," Ranma wiped the sweat from his brow, both from the running _and_ the fighting.

"It's no problem, Ranchan... whenever you need me, I'll be there!" Ukyou beamed as she put her dented spatula back in it's sheath. Ryouga rubbed his head and sat up.

"Why did you have to stand there, Father?" Ryouga asked, as Soun waved the stars away. ''I have a Son?!'' Soun began bawling, still a bit disoriented by the attack.

Happosai grinned as the people continued talking, until he noticed the girls starting to remember why they had chased the group. He had already lost his load, as the girls began picking their bra's and panties back up.

Happosai pulled out a Happodaikarin, wanting to start the fighting again before the girls could get a hold of him.

"HOLD, MORTALS!" A voice boomed from all directions.

Happosai blinked as he held his Happodaikarin, ready to join the fray. The thing exploded in his hand, leaving the old pervert charred and burned.

A huge column of water shot out of the ground, cracking the concrete as it pushed through the surface.

Shampoo cringed next to Akane, having explained the situation to the young Tendo girl. Akane stood in a defensive stance as she heard the booming voice, her teeth clenched and her fists at her sides.

The column formed into a huge snake, looking down on the mob. The girls who had been pounding on Happosai fled quickly.

"I bet this is your fault too, Ranma!" Ryouga stated sarcastically as he popped his knuckles and jumped to his feet.

"Yes, truly it must be the Male Demon's spawn of some sort..." Kuno mumbled half conciously.

"Hey, I don't know nothin' about this, so just leave off it you two!" Ranma snapped. The Aquarius-Snake looked at the group quizzically. Happosai stared up at the elemental with his arms crossed.

"Please don't hurt us, oh ever so powerful spirit of water... we beg of you, show us mercy in this hour of despair!" Soun grovelled while bowing.

I'm just an innocent Panda!!! Genma emphatically waved.

"CUT THAT OUT, YOU TWO!!!" Akane, Ranma, and Amiko yelled simultaneously.

"Honestly, scared by a twenty foot jet of water..." Murmured Ukyou.

"Well well well, it appears the little magic in that Vase really _was_ building up.... Hmmm, to think that such a beautiful thing could pop out of that little jar I had forgotten about!" Happosai grinned and rubbed his chin as he picked up his bag of goodies, by now half empty.

The water snake winced, and then returned to her human-female form.

"How do you know my true form, you decrepid geezer?" Aquarius asked, as she picked up the shrivelled lech. Happosai grinned mischieviously as he latched onto the water elemental's bosom, and began caressing her.

"YEAH!" Ryouga cried, and then covered his mouth as everyone stared at him.

"It's easy, really... you see, that bottle had some powerful aura surrounding it, let me tell you! I noticed the true aura around your form _within_ the snake guise, and what a form it is!" Aquarius was stunned at the show of affection from the old man, and was beginning to get angry.

"YOU MEAN YOU KNEW ABOUT HER, YOU OLD GOAT?!" Ranma inquired, popping his knuckles in the process.

"Ranma, Ranma, Ranma... it goes back to an old bottle of Chiisuiton water I had inherited with my mastery of the Arts. Legend had it that the mistress of water had been trapped by a Princess of Amazons as an induction right of the first queen! Hmmm... gotta say though, I didn't believe till now!" Ranma snatched the Pervert out of the Elemental's hands and began pounding on him.

"YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THIS IS YOUR FAULT?!?!" Shampoo vigorously helped Ranma, and Akane pitched in after remembering Shampoo's story.

"I've obviously missed something," Ukyou said to nobody in particular.

You're not the Only one! Mr. Panda exclaimed.

"Oscar! Oscar! Why won't honey listen to me!!! PLEASE!" Azusa was plucked off of the Panda by Mikado Sanzenin.

"I apologize, quaint creature, for my partners behavior," Mikado bowed slighty.

Mr. Panda tapped Ryouga on the shoulder. Who's the Chump? Mr. Panda pointed to Mikado and Azusa.

Ryouga turned and saw Azusa flailing in Mikado's arms.

"GAH!" Ryouga jumped behind Soun, who looked confusedly at the Golden Pair.

Mikado looked from his partner over to the odd water-elemental, wondering if perhaps it was best to leave the beautiful girl he had seen alone for the time being... after all, he who fights and runs away... Mikado turned and began skating away from the group, getting the feeling something bad was about to happen. Besides, it was almost time for practice at Kolkoz.

Ranma, Shampoo, and Akane finished pummeling Happosai and turned their attention, and fists, back to Aquarius.

"This all very entertaining, but is my will that Princess die very tragic, very violent end!" Aquarius began charging herself with elemental power, as Shampoo eeped and lept back away from Happosai.

Ranma and Akane paused when they heard this. Shampoo flinched, and searched about with her eyes for some exit if things got messy. She found none.

"WHOA! Hang on a second! You can't just come into somewhere and kill somebody!" Amiko walked up to Aquarius as she talked.

Aquarius wore a bemused, if a bit confused, expression on her face. "Why?"

"Okay, say us humans invaded Kami... and wanted to kill Amaterasu, what would the rest of you do?" Ranma smiled at Amiko who winked and shot him that winning grin.

"I suppose we mount attack and wipe out puny mortals, why?" Now the elemental looked utterly confused.

"There you have it. That's why we've been trying to help Shampoo. She _is_ our concern because she is our friend," Aquarius considered Amiko a moment and then got a dangerous glare in her eyes.

"I understand. In case like this, we chose Champions and whoever lose fall to winners will, Hai?" Amiko blinked, and then thought for a minute.

"Well... it's definitely not fair with just you against someone else... especially in Nerima where the Jusenkyou curses are as common as a Cold," Amiko turned and considered the group of Martial artists.

To start off, Soun and Genma were not very reliable in their fighting styles... Soun went off the handle too easily and Genma was prone to do something foolish, or stupid, or perhaps both.

Shampoo was of no caliber to compete with something like this, and would most likely get in the way of her companions if it was a group fight. Ukyou would likely want to show Ranma she was best for him, and her fighting style was at most a minimum comparative to the rest...

Kuno, with some practice, might be able to help... if he could keep his fool mouth shut. Ryouga was a definite assett, he could fight just as well as Ranma... his only fallback was that he got angry easily, which also charged some of his attacks with a powerful punch.

"Here, I help make decision for foolish girl," Aquarius gestured and everyone was soaked in water, Shampoo-neko looked around in stark fear, as everyone felt what they had feared from the water-being. Chiisuiton.

"NO!"

"BWEEE!"

"MEOW!!!!"

"Growf..." Well... Genma didn't much care at the moment, he didn't realize what had just happened. He idly chewed on a biscuit he had snatched as they were running after Ranma.

"You didn't have to do that!" Amiko yelled. She had been spared from the wave of Chiisuiton, as Aquarius had sensed she was a normal person.

"Why? It make for much simple agreement, Hai?" Aquarius sounded quite serious.

Ranma was on her knees... breathing heavily as she held back the tears. *I AM A MAN! MAN! MAN! MAN!! MAAAAN!!!!!!* The words wouldn't escape her lips, she was stuck as a girl.

"d...damn you..." Ranma muttered.

Aquarius blinked and looked at the fallen Martial artist. "What was that? Funny, aren't you _GIRL_ who I fight in hallway? Hmmm?" Aquarius chuckled, right before Amiko dug her fist into the girls stomach. Aquarius gasped as the air rushed out of her lungs, and struggled to breathe, her glare could freeze fire as she looked at Amiko.

"You- know how fight?! How- I not see aura..." Aquarius grew angry. And launched an attack at Amiko, who dodged, flipped over Aquarius, and landed without a sound.

"...'Roshi?" Ranma was stunned. Aquarius began a flurry of attacks, her fists blurring in combination to her kicks... Ranma couldn't even follow. Amiko kept laughing though... and somehow easily evaded the attacks.

"C'mon... gimme a break!!!" Amiko grabbed both of Aquarius's fists and the Elemental paused for a moment.

"Here's the deal... Me, Ranma, and Akane fight you tomorrow morning at the park. If we win, you return our friends and ourselves back to the way we were before your visit, deal?" Amiko smiled and let go of Aquarius. She hadn't fought in her life.... but if any time was the best, now was. Amiko couldn't let her friends be destroyed by Aquarius, and she'd do anything she had to to prevent Ranma from being stuck as a girl.

"Is fine with me, Foolish girl. I know you not win anyway, Bai Laio!" Aquarius began to shimmer with blue energy.... then she changed into vapor and floated away.

"B- Bweee..." Ryouga was sobbing softly. His only solace was that Akane hadn't seen the change. But then, she never might again. Images flashed in Ryouga's mind, of how many things he had left unresolved, because of his cowardice... then images flashed of life like a pig, Akane's pet, no longer her friend, and he sobbed harder.

Ranma fared not much better. The perfect picture of him and Akane, him in his tuxedo, and her in her wedding dress... staring at each other longingly that day after Mount Phoenix popped into her head. Then it shattered. *Would there never be peace in my life?* she wondered.

Then she recalled what she had just witnessed, and her curiosity, for a moment, overrode her grief.

Ranma pushed herself to her feet, thoroughly soaked to the bone. She walked over to Amiko, so did Akane. They both looked at their friend in curious astonishment, and puzzlement.

"... 'Roshi, how did you? Are you a martial artist?" Ranma was stunned by the display of professional talent her friend had displayed.

Amiko looked at her friends and blinked once. "What do you mean? I've never fought before in my life." Amiko seemed completely oblivious to what she had just done. Ranma and Akane looked at eachother, now even more confused, then back at Amiko.

"But- you evaded all those attacks," Akane looked at Ranma again, who still had a similarly confused look on her face, and then back at Amiko.

Amiko laughed, and then grinned. "That wasn't fighting, that was a defense tactic," Amiko looked at Ranma, and frowned sadly. Ranma's eyes seemed to have lost a certain light. Perhaps it was her brash confidence, or her hope that she could ever lead a normal life.

"Oh geez, I'm sorry Ranma," Amiko hugged her friend, who had a bleak, hopeless look on her face. The red-head shuddered for a moment, and Amiko knew she was holding back her emotions. *Ranma. I'm so sorry...* Amiko let out a sigh, bordering on tears herself... for her friend.

"This is the third time in my Life that I've been stuck this way," Ranma sighed. "Thanks, 'Roshi.... but every time I think I've found a cure, something happens. Maybe the world is out to get me."

"It is, and it will, but only if you don't try." Amiko patted Ranma on the shoulder, which emitted a small smile on the red-head's face. *There's that smile again...* Amiko smiled with Ranma. "Don't worry... we'll get you guy's back to normal."

Akane looked at Hiroshi and Ranma, and sighed happily. *They're such great friends.* Akane looked down, and saw a small blue Piglet, with a familiar bandanna around his neck.

"P-Chan? What happened to you! You're Blue!" Akane plucked the pig up and scratched behind it's ear.

She noticed that the Pig was crying softly. "Oh, c'mon Baby, what's wrong?" Akane hugged the pig to her, hoping that her affection would somehow make P-chan feel better.

"Hoh boy," Amiko said. "Man, that must suck for Ryouga," Ranma clasped her hand over Amiko's mouth.

"Shhh! Akane doesn't know, and it's a secret of Honor!" Amiko smiled as Ranma took her hand away. "I wasn't even supposed to tell you, 'Roshi," Ranma stated a bit reluctantly.

"You know I'll never let another soul know, Ranma." Amiko looked over at Mousse and Shampoo, stuck in their cursed states.

Kuno still lay face first on the pavement, out like a light from shock at seeing everyone change into various animals. Panda-san and Mister Tendo looked around at the demolished roadway, while Holding Ranma's bags. Happosai was nonchalantly smoking his pipe...

"Well well well, it looks like we're all in sort of a spot Ranma," Happosai hopped up to Amiko, Ranma, and Akane. He wondered if the three were up to the battle, and prayed that Ranma wouldn't give up hope. After all, where was Happosai going to find another student?

''That's the understatement of the year,'' Akane murmured sarcastically to Ranma, who sighed sadly and nodded her head. Akane bit her bottom lip as she watched Ranma begin to walk back towards the Dojo. *Ranma... don't worry, everything will work out.* Akane hated to see Ranma suffer like this, whenever Ranma was hurt, Akane felt it; Though she would never tell him that.

The group slowly walked back to the Tendo Dojo, Akane carrying P-Chan, who had a haunted look to his small eyes. Amiko carried Shampoo and Mousse, who gazed at eachother in stark terror of their plight. Ranma walked back with her hands in her pockets, staring at the pavement while she plucked at her School Dress, all her effort going into keeping herself from breaking down from the day's stress.

Panda-San was still quite clueless as to what had happened, and Soun was happily carrying the shopping bags Ranma and Hiroshi had acquired.

It was a silent walk back.


	19. Locked Again

Ranma lay on her futon, staring up at the ceiling. Her blue eyes slightly glazed as if she were about to cry. The red area around them suggested that she had been doing just that for quite a while.

A small knock on her door made her glance over at it. It couldn't be Akane, she had asked to be alone for the evening. Ranma continued staring at the door.

"Ranma?" It was her Mother. Ranma shuddered again, then looked down at her clothing, the standard Chinese slacks and red vest.

She had changed into them as soon as she got home, unable to stand another moment in something so feminine.

Something she might have to wear for the rest of her life.

"Ranma, I'm sorry. Hiroshi told me what happened, may I come in?" Ranma inwardly winced, her Mother frightened her for several reasons. One being what she had been trying to do to her daughter. What she was doing to Ranma.

Another part of her hurt because of the very existence of the fear, and hurt from hearing her Mother's voice on the other side of the door.

Today, she was in too much emotional pain to dwell on either.

"Mom, please, go away," Ranma managed, her voice cracking on the last word.

There was a long pause, and Ranma wondered if her Mother had left, then felt guilty for wanting her to leave. She was relieved and upset when she heard her Mother answer.

"No. You are my only child, and I will not abandon you ever again," The door opened, and Ranma rolled onto her side, her back to her Mother.

Nodoka stared at the girl, and at the clothes she was wearing again. Her frown was for both the clothes, and the depression Ranma was in.

"Ranma, Hiroshi told me about the girl Aquarius, and what she did." Nodoka settled herself on the ground next to Ranma's futon, and just looked at her.

"Mom, it's not just that. It's not just what Hiroshi said," Ranma rolled over, a tear moving down her cheek.

Nodoka frowned again, and wiped the tear away.

"You've been crying." Nodoka jumped a bit when Ranma grabbed her wrist, the girl's teeth were clenched.

"Mom, it was NEVER just being stuck as a girl. It was accepting what it meant that scared me! And you're trying to make me do that." Nodoka wrenched her wrist free, rubbing it with her other hand.

"I'm you're Mother, and I made a promise." Nodoka said flatly.

"I know," Ranma's sad expression returned. "But you never discussed it with me, you never tried making a compromise. It was your way or no way, your way or my death." Ranma winced at the last word.

Nodoka stared at Ranma. What was she to do? She had made a promise, and couldn't go back on her word. She had promised her mother to do her best in teaching her daughter- Ranma, everything she knew.

Nodoka shook her head from the thoughts. "We will discuss this Later, Ranma. Why were you crying?"

Ranma glared for a moment, and then looked around, a trapped look in her eyes.

"Because I'm afraid that if I'm stuck like this... that- that-" Ranma breathed in sharply, and then let out a shuddering sigh, another tear rolling down her cheek. "That Akane- will- won't- she won't...."

"Love you anymore?" Nodoka offered, and Ranma nodded a bit, wiping tears from her face.

Nodoka smiled softly, it bordered between sad and solemn. "It's not easy being in Love, Ranma. I hate being truthful, but it is me. If you are stuck as a girl, you're relationship with Akane will change very much," Ranma's face became even sadder, as several tears fell from her face.

"I'm sorry, it's true. But, I don't believe she will stop loving you, or love you any less." Nodoka wrapped her arms around Ranma. Ranma hugged her in return, burying her face in her Mother's shoulder, and sighing.

"Ranma, you won't be stuck like this. You'll win that battle, and you'll return to being a man," Nodoka took a deep breath, then let it out. "Then we can talk about Compromise."

Ranma hugged her Mother tighter. *Of course I'll win the fight, but what about next time?* Ranma shuddered again, getting the feeling that his curse would haunt him for the rest of his life.

"Thank you Mom. Sorry about getting all emotional," Ranma wiped her eyes again, wondering why it was so easy to cry as a girl... and why it was so hard to control.

"It's not a problem, Ranma, and not your fault. Girl's emotional make ups are more... sensitive than men's." Nodoka smiled a bit, and Ranma drew away a little.

Nodoka frowned.

Ranma looked at her Mother's eyes, but didn't look at her Mother but stared off into nothing. Fear gripped her again. *Why didn't I ever notice before?* Ranma blinked then looked at his Mother.

"My brain doesn't change, Mom. My Body does... I'm just getting worked up, er somethin'."

Nodoka frowned again. "Ranma, your body changes, and so do your hormones. That's what causes the imbalance in women. Our- unpredictable emotional swings," Nodoka looked down at Ranma's hand, and took it... pressing the Dragon's Whisker into it.

Ranma sat stunned for a moment, as her Mother gave her a kiss on the cheek then stood and left the room. *I'm a man.* She said in her mind. "I'm a- I'm a-" Ranma shuddered again, then looked to her side, gazing into the mirror by accident. She wondered who the person in the Mirror was, did she have a name? Was it Ranma? A frown appeared on the images face, and one hand trailed up to her face, tracing the jawline, down the neck, across the curves of her chest and hips. *I'm a man.* Ranma repeated in her mind.

"A- A-" Her hand floated back up to her lips. Her eyes glistening wetly. For the past four hours the mirror had mocked her, and the words would not come.

The image, although a bit dishevelled, was attractive to say the least. The delicate jawline, the small nose, the slight curve to her lips...

Ranma ran the other hand through her hair, the Dragon's Whisker dropped to the side. *Red.* Ranma tried smiling, and the image did the same. It was a cute smile, Ranma noted, the way the sides of her lips turned up, and small dimples appered...

Ranma reached under her Pillow, pulling out a book. *Journal of Ranma Saotome* Was written on the first page, as the slightly unused Binding slowly opened. Below the words was a picture of the boy, Ranma traced the face.

Strong Jawline, sharp, angular, masculine features to his nose, lips, cheekbones, eyebrows... Black hair.

A very strong sob escaped Ranma's throat, as the other hand traced each different semblance of her female face; Where had the boy gone? She wondered. Terror unlike any other she had experienced filled her soul, she realized how different they both were.

Ranma shook her head, trying to clear it of the strange thoughts. *I'm a Man.* She was Unsure of that. Perhaps she was neither Man nor Woman.

She jumped when someone knocked on the door, and looked up to see Akane.

"Ranma," Akane looked at the red-head, seeing the tension in her eyes, as well as the signs of crying in her features. Ranma slowly put the book back under her pillow.

Akane gave a supportive smile, but kept her distance. She wished she knew why she'd come in to talk to Ranma, she really had nothing to say.

"Hi Akane. Sorry about being so upset earlier," Ranma sighed and shook her head.

Akane didn't hear Ranma's apology but dwelled on what she had been watching. Ranma seemed so- unsure about everything nowadays. Akane had been watching for several minutes, and she got the feeling Ranma was trying to convince herself of something.

"You can't say it," Akane frowned sadly.

Ranma blanched, then shuddered a bit, she looked back over at the mirror, then pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them, then looked at Akane.

"...no..." Ranma's answer was much less than a whisper. The only way Akane had known what it was was by watching Ranma's lips move.

Akane nervously looked away, then walked into the room, fixing her eyes on Ranma, and sat down beside the lonely red-head.

"That's the real reason, isn't it. Why you've been crying." Ranma simply nodded in response, then stared at the mirror again.

"It started after the fight with Mousse. I don't know why, but I'm not sure about anything anymore... It's almost like I've lost myself, and don't know where to look." Ranma continued staring at her reflection, as it looked back mockingly at her.

"Maybe you're just now finding that the self you were wasn't you, and that you needed to find your true self. I think Hiroshi started it." Akane squirmed nervously a bit.

Ranma looked over at Akane, her face had a curious expression on it. "What do you mean?" Akane noticed, again, how Ranma seemed to relax at the mention of Hiroshi's name.

"Whenever he's around, or whenever you come home from his house, you seem so different. It- it sometimes scares me." Akane forced a smile. Ranma fell into a vacant, thinking look, after a moment his gaze returned to Akane.

"I seem Different?" Akane stared at him a moment. Then looked away. She had been thinking for day's on this very subject...

Akane took one of Ranma's hands and squeezed it affectionately. "Whenever he's around you seem- I- I don't know, I guess more cheerful, happier? It's like all your problems suddenly vanish, I usually can see it in your stance and eyes," Akane trailed off.

Ranma smiled. "He's the best friend I've ever had. Nobody's tried to be as caring and understanding about my problems as he has, he makes me feel like all the things that bother me so much are not as bad as I alway's imagine them to be. There's that, and he's always got something intriguing and philisophical to say." Ranma's vacant look returned when she spoke about Hiroshi. Then she looked back at Akane.

"I'm lucky to have met the guy." Ranma grinned. Akane sighed a bit, unsure of herself. Ranma's smile was alway's the sunlight of her life, and he had so many reason's not to show it.

A chilling thought ran through Akane's blood. And her smile turned sad. *I wonder if Ranma even notices that he smiles so often when Hiroshi's around?* It was a frightening thought, and Akane was sure she was imagining the worst about Hiroshi; after all, he was a nice guy. And honorable, caring, compassionate, and strongly empathetic to others.

Then why did she feel like Ranma and she were somehow missing something?


	20. Water in the Park

Ranma and Akane stood waiting at the park. They both waited on the Elemental and Hiroshi. Ranma thought about how Hiroshi had dodged the attacks Aquarius had launched at him the day before, and wondered how her friend could have done that if he had had no previous training.

Akane looked ready to kill in her white Gi, and probably thought about it too. It wasn't often she got to help Ranma with a battle, she wouldn't squander the chance now; she was going to help Ranma change back to a guy even if it killed her.

They both blinked and looked carefully at the person approaching. The rising sun illuminated the figure garbed in white as it walked closer; Hiroshi.

He wore a large white shirt with billowing sleeves, the forearms of the shirt wrapped in white cloth, the wrapping also covered his fists. Similar wrapping covered his calves and feet. Over the shirt was a sleeveless Gi which fell to about midthigh and was tied tightly closed against his waist, sandals were on his feet and a white headband on his forehead. The last article was his weapon, a bone-white Bo-staff.

"Hello." Hiroshi forced a slight smile.

Ranma grinned. "Nice get up, where'd you get it?" Hiroshi blushed slightly at Ranma's words.

"It is an ancient family Heirloom, I thought it best to be prepared." Hiroshi smiled then looked at Akane. "Hello, Akane. You both look ready to fight. I hope I am," Hiroshi let out a deep breath.

"I AM ALSO HOPING THAT FOOLISH MORTALS READY, I TIRE OF PETTY WAITING FOR VENGEANCE!" The familiar voice echoed from everywhere. A pool of water seeped up from the ground, then began to grow, forming itself into the Elemental.

Ranma and Akane dropped into a Ready stance, Hiroshi rested his Bo on his shoulder. "Aquarius, is this truly the only way?"

"Is only way with honor, foolish boy. You look familiar, Hai? Where is girl who challenge?" Aquarius looked around, seeing nobody else but the three before her.

"I am she." Hiroshi said. Aquarius raised an eyebrow at that.

"I not understand, but no matter. You soon be dead like she be if she here," Aquarius looked back at the other two. "You ready?"

"That's my line, Witch." Ranma murmured through gritted teeth. Ranma leaped into the air, coming down towards Aquarius in a flying kick, the elemental dodged to the side, swivelling and kicking Ranma straight in the back, sending her tumbling to the ground.

Akane leapt forward, her foot sweeping at chest level as Aquarius stepped back, Akane proceeded with a roundhouse, then launched several punches at the Elemental; Aquarius caught one of her fists, and twisted her body, pulling Akane over her shoulder and slamming her uncerimoniously to the ground; knocking the wind out of the girl.

Ranma yelled and kicked straight for the Elemental's chest, Aquarius caught the foot easily, Ranma pivoted, using Aquarius hand for an anchor, and smashed a kick into the Blue-Haired girl's jaw.

Aquarius stumbled back, and Hiroshi began spinning his Bo in a dramatic flourish, and snapping it towards Aquarius. The elemental dodged each strike, then held her index and middle finger out towards Hiroshi, he was immediately blasted with a jet of cold water.

Aquarius did a reverse roundhouse knocking the advancing Ranma down to the ground. She lifted her foot, and brought it down towards Ranma, who caught it and kicked upward, using the Elemental's own momentum to topple her to the ground.

Ranma leapt back to her feet, and looked over at Akane who was quickly getting back into her fighting stance.

Ranma howled as freezing tendrils of water seemed to engulf her, then throw her violently back into a tree.

Aquarius reformed her shape into a standing position and summoned a blue shimmering sword. Hiroshi ran towards her swinging his staff several times, connecting with the Blue-Haired girl's jaw, left arm, and finally her sword. He began attacking faster, spinning the Bo at a furious spead as the wind howled around it; Aquarius used the sword to block his attack, and wheeled around with her sword, bringing it in towards his head...

He blocked with the Bo, and Ranma began to summon forth the energy for a Mouko Takabisha. The energy surged as Akane came towards Aquarius with a flying kick, which Aquarius blocked with an eruption of water and rock from the ground, sending Akane into the air.

Hiroshi began sweating, as he vainly tried to keep up his pace. The Mouko Takabisha slammed directly into a wall of elemental water, and the shield vanished.

Ranma saw Akane falling back to Earth, and gasped. She ran over to catch her, the pain from her own impact with the tree slowing her slightly.

"You can give up, foolish boy, I no have to kill you; only Princess of Amazon Tribe!" Aquarius muttered through clenched teeth.

"She is a friend, and I won't let you harm her. I won't let you harm anyone else," Hiroshi slammed his Bo into her gut, sending her back about ten feet, and gasping for air.

Ranma caught Akane, but fell to the ground herself. Akane seemed to be cut and bruised from the force of the geyser of rock and water; a bump on her head warned Ranma of why she was unconcious.

Ranma set Akane down, a rage building within...

Aquarius glared at Hiroshi, a Rage building within...

Ranma turned and began running back towards Aquarius, her fists clenched as she began to conecentrate...

Aquarius changed her sword to a Bo, but with two viscious looking blades on either end.

"Now you learn what is to anger Aquarius!" Aquarius ran towards Hiroshi with a primal yell... and Was knocked to the ground by a single swing of his Bo... Ranma jumped into the air, her words resounding and echoing.

"KACHUU TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!" Aquarius began taking blows from Ranma's blurring fists, until she blocked one of the strikes, and began to build up a shield of ice around her....

Ranma whailed as her fists began to freeze, tearing them out of her attack, and holding them to her. She took a step back from the Elemental, as Aquarius laughed, then swung her Double Bladed Staff at the red-head.

Ranma leapt back, the blade tearing open her vest and cutting slightly into her right breast.

Hiroshi saw Ranma fall from the blow, blood trickled from the slight wound... His eyes burned....

Aquarius brought Her weapon back with a laugh, and down towards Ranma's fearful face.

Hiroshi blocked her with his Bo-staff, then slammed it into her chest, stomach, and jaw, knocking her back.

Aquarius rubbed her bruised Jaw, then healed her wounds.

Hiroshi didn't blink, "From the Depths of forgotten history comes a technique long lost in texts of Martial Arts, from a time when Japan was in turmoil; An attack used to defend the meak from the strong. Behold, Chimaera's Wrath!" Hiroshi brought his Bo up, as it glowed softly.

Aquarius glared at Hiroshi, then engaged... As she struck, the white bo-staff seemed to create a halo around Hiroshi, and she felt two blows crash into her. She jumped back, looking again at the boy. The aura was blinding, and the Elemental could not understand what had happened.

She tried to strike again, twisting quickly around the boy in white to try and strike him from behind, only to the same effect; one strike upon the strangely pale halo and two impacts squarely to her midsection. Again and again she circled the boy in white, feeling her anger roil up inside of her as she met at every angle two strikes for every one she lay onto the strange white blur impeding her attacks.

Ranma leapt to her feet and launched another Mouko Takabisha at Aquarius, catching her off guard and slamming her into a large rock, which crumbled.

For a moment, the Elemental did not move. Then she reformed standing; pure rage on her face.

"I HAVE HAD ENOUGH!" The pointed her index, ring, and pinky finger at Ranma, her middle finger held down by her thumb.

Ranma screamed as Water seemed to cocoon her, and began to suffocate...

Hiroshi's ire increased ten-fold. "No cheating!"

"I not cheat, only use what Humans use, advantage!" Aquarius didn't have time to block the first three attacks, Hiroshi's bo flailing wildly with anger as it took her a moment to maintain her focus on the sphere of Water around Ranma and split her attention.

Block for attack, attack for block, and blocked in turn.... The cryptic dance continued, building in speed as Hiroshi's eyes took on a furious glow of wrath. Several attacks connected with the Elementals abdomen, causing her to grunt slightly and renew her effort. As the minutes passed there was a faint white aura around Hiroshi that seemed to increase in intensity with every strike he received from the Elemental.

Attack for block, spin and attack to be blocked, then swing and be blocked in return, to have an attack connect with a jaw...

Aquarius staggered back as the boy in white's movements became a blur; Ten more, twelve more, fifteen more strikes connected. Her senses were flooded with pulsing, intoxicating ki seeming to burst from a font around the boy in white.

Ranma continued to struggle as the water pressed around her painfully, pressing her hands against the surface of the bubble as a few air bubbles escaped her mouth.

Hiroshi yelled, then leapt up, coming down with his Bo spinning, Aquarius smiled a smile of mischief as she thrust her bo-staff upward blade first at the bone-white staff in the boy's hands; they connected.

There was a moment as light seemed to dance up and down the length of the white bo, then in a violent reation the Elementals bo shattered; shards flying back towards her.

Hiroshi's staff continued on with its momentum, connecting squarely and violently with the side of the Elementals skull, sending her flying into a tree.

Ranma fell to the ground coughing and gasping.

Hiroshi's anger faded, his eyes fluttered for a moment as he stumbled back a moment, holding his head. Suddenly he felt rather dizzy as he panted and gasped for breath, unused to such physical exertion as he had just been through as he righted himself, planting both feet firmly on the ground.

Aquarius lay battered under the tree, looking up at Hiroshi with tears. "How you- beat me?" She spoke softly, her breath and strength leaving her.

Hiroshi looked down at her. "If I knew that-" Hiroshi looked at his Bo, wondering to himself how the last ten minutes had seemed like some foggy dream, "-I would challenge Ranma." He smiled slightly, gripping his staff more firmly before he pointed the Bo at Aquarius.

"Now, you will do as you promised. Yes?" Hiroshi felt a bit sorry for Aquarius.

The Blue-Haired girl looked up at Hiroshi and smiled sadly. "Hai. I do what say, I honorable spirit." Aquarius reformed slowly to a standing position.

Ranma stood and, still gasping, walked over to Aquarius. "I'm sorry about your imprisonment. But Shampoo had nothing to do with that,"

"Is her blood. Blood feud, I swore on Princess of long ago. I sorry I cruel. Girl's friend could kill me, but didn't. He honorable spirit." Aquarius bowed to Hiroshi, and Ranma scratched her head.

Hiroshi blushed. "I'm not a spirit, Aquarius. Just a Teenage boy."

"You honorable, nonetheless. I not be angry." She snapped her fingers and Ranma felt a tingle.

"I'm not a Girl." Ranma said sternly.

Aquarius frowned. "You Fall in Jusenkyou, Hai?"

Ranma nodded, still glaring at the Blue-Haired girl.

Aquarius got the impression Ranma didn't understand. "Nevermind, it nothing. Just not used to reffering to victim of Nyannichuan as boy." Aquarius sighed. "You can turn back now, so can silly pig, panda, duck, and Princess."

Aquarius put her hands together and bowed again. Ranma noticed Akane standing behind Hiroshi, and smiled.

"Water now go back to Town. I go, and no return." Aquarius smiled and began shimmering.

"Wait! Can you cure us of the curses?" Ranma asked hopefully.

"No. Jusenkyou not made by me. Magic is, but not curses.... I sorry.... Bai Laio," The Elemental's voice faded out. Ranma's shoulders slumped.

"Ahhh, nuts," She had to smile, despite herself though. She could change back now.

"Hiroshi, what happened?" Akane seemed confused.

"We won, that's what," Hiroshi began walking back to his house, deep in thought; His expression writ large with confusion.

"Hey, 'Roshi! Hang on!" Ranma ran up to his side.

"Yeah?"

"Well thanks.... I don't know where you learned to fight, but thanks anyways," Ranma offered her hand.

Hiroshi was pensive a moment, looking at Ranma's hand. "No trouble, Ranma. I would have done it had it been death itself. I couldn't bare thinking of how unhappy you would be stuck as a girl," Hiroshi smiled.

Ranma frowned, a bit confused. By the time she shook of the confusion, Hiroshi was quite a ways down the street.

"You know, 'Roshi. You really are an amazing guy," Ranma sighed as she watched him walk away.

"You bet," Akane smiled and wrapped an arm around Ranma. "I'm glad I've got him as a friend too, Ranma!"

Akane and Ranma walked back to the Dojo.


	21. Epilogue

Hiroshi frowned as he chiselled the stone statue, something wasn't right about the way he felt. Every time he thought about Ranma, he got an odd feeling inside of peace, warmth.... caring.

It confused him, it didn't feel familiar. It didn't feel like how he felt about Daisuke or the rest of the guy's.

*Confusion* Hiroshi absently thought *Is usually brought about by only dwelling on surface thoughts.*

He latched onto it, while he continued with his statue. He had often thought and chiselled at the same time, and hardly ever noticed what he was doing or making out of the stone.

It had started about three weeks ago, when Ranma had had a nervous breakdown, and run tearfully from school. That night, Ranma had fallen asleep at his house... an utter look of peace and happiness on her face.

The next day, Hiroshi had done everything he could to try and help Ranma cope with some of his problems, and then the fight with Mousse.

Four times now Hiroshi had endangered his life in a valiant attempt at deepening that friendship he held with Ranma. It had deepened. Very much.

So the day's passed, as Ranma came frequently now over to his house to work on her clay statue of Akane. He had told her that it was delicate and fragile to work with clay, that one must be gentle... and Ranma was. The gentlest person he knew.

He recalled with fond regard when he had showed her how to mold a face, using himself for an example; telling her to close her eyes and trail her hands over his face, then try and recreate it....

His arms had been wrapped around her from behind, as he helped her ever so slightly, and they both blushed at the strange closeness at that moment.

Another thing came to Hiroshi's mind, the fact that he had begun referring to Ranma as a girl. Not by accident every once in a while, but now it seemed a full time reference.

His sister tried to help him use correct sexual terms, but soon he forgot again....

There was that... and her smile. *Her smile is so beautiful.* Hiroshi found himself smiling at the thought. He loved seeing Ranma smile. He loved seeing her laugh, he loved looking into her eyes.

Hiroshi frowned again. *What am I saying? She's my friend.* Hiroshi continued thinking, his hands moving unconciously as he continued chiselling.

He recalled all the things they had shared, stories, secrets, pains, fears... and he had listened to each, in awe and happiness. Happy that she was there, happy that she smiled when he said something that touched deeply on her emotions, accurately on her heart....

Hiroshi froze in movement, as his eyes fell on the statue. The chisel and hammer dropped from his nerveless fingers.

Warmth. Happiness. Her Smile. Her Laugh. Her Presence. Her eyes. Her hair. Her Honesty, Compassion, caring, honor.... Her tortured soul, her aching heart, her sadness....

They all touched him.

They all moved him.

He denied it, shook his head, told himself that this was wrong, he was being childish in thinking something like that.

But he knew now, what he was feeling. He knew it with a dread. Tears stained his face as he realized his doom. His hand came up and carressed the cold cheek of the statue.

"I Love You, Ranma." Hiroshi trailed his finger across the cheekbone of Ranma's cold-stone face as the tears flowed freely. He had not noticed what he had been carving for a week. He had known it was a girl, thought with excitement it might be someone he Loved.

He looked at her face, the delicate cheekbones, the small nose, her strong gaze; he noticed the clothing he had finished was the Chinese vest, and he dropped to the ground, wrapping his arms around the statue.

"Ranma.... Kami Help Me, I'm in Love with you."

Truth.

Sorrow.

And Love.

What was Hiroshi's Fate....

* * End 2:1* *

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Next on Ranma 1/2! Ranma finally gets tired of Akane's cooking, and Challenges her to a duel of Cullinary Expertise! But who'll be the winner in this battle of baking? Join us Next Time for Ranma 1/2 FC Edition: A Cullinary Catalyst, Ranma's Challenge of Taste!

((Ending Song is "Equal Romance" With added Pics of Hiroshi and Ranma in the Vault with their Statues, and Daisuke hanging out with Ranma and Hiroshi.))


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